Ocean Days
by Zesh
Summary: A fight with Fisheye ends with the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask being transported to Bikini Bottom. While trying to think of a way to return to Japan and stop the Dead Moon Circus, a botched plan from Plankton causes robots to rampage around Bikini Bottom. Together with SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy, the Sailor Team must keep the robots from destroying Bikini Bottom.
1. Subversionary

**Author's Note:** This fanfic takes place during the Dream arc of the _Sailor Moon_ manga and will also follow the plot of the _SpongeBob_ video game _Battle for Bikini Bottom_. Spoilers follow for any who haven't finished the Dream arc or the game.

 **Chapter One: Subversionary**

Usagi, transformed into Sailor Moon, stood alongside her fellow Guardians, Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and her daughter from the future, Chibi-Moon. Tuxedo Mask, her boyfriend and future husband, stood beside Chibi-Moon, the team standing on top of the condominium in which Ami lived, at midnight. The palm of Tuxedo Mask's gloved hand faced Fisheye. The member of the Dead Moon Circus floated above the team. No civilians were around and, hopefully, no one watched the flashing lights or heard the booming attacks.

Fisheye was the first enemy from the recently arrived Dead Moon Circus that the Guardians had encountered, so Usagi watched Fisheye carefully, from Fisheye's wavy, shoulder-length blue hair, to his webbed hands, to his puffy blue jumpsuit.

Fisheye inched backward. Six Guardians and a man wearing a mask could overpower him. An attack on one Guardian—Sailor Mercury—meant that he'd attacked them all.

This was why Fisheye had backup.

A weapon that CereCere, his master, had given him. It would transport the Guardians anywhere.

Fisheye chanted the incantation CereCere had taught him, summoning the pole into his hand, the yellow ball appearing beside the pole. Before the Guardians could react, he hit the ball with the pole like he was playing pool. It flew to the Guardians and then exploded, creating a portal.

Fisheye thought about the ocean, his homeland, every day. He'd designed the weapon to send the Guardians to the bottom of the ocean. They'd die from pressure, from not being able to breathe. The Dead Moon Circus' problems would be solved.

The portal sucked in the air, inhaling the Guardians and the man with it, their screams lingering after they had been drawn inside.

Fisheye smirked. He would hear their cries in his sweet dreams.

* * *

That morning, Usagi had a tougher time than usual opening her eyes for school. She had an English exam, the reason she didn't want to get up.

The pressure she felt was unreal. Should've studied for that exam, then there'd be no pressure, either physically or mentally. And her room was freezing; it'd be even colder once she threw off her covers. Not much to look forward to.

Wait.

Something was wrong. She shouldn't feel this physical pressure, not from her bedcovers.

Usagi managed to part open her eyes. A burning sensation filled them, and she shut them again. During that brief period in which she had opened her eyes, she'd seen something she'd never forget.

A giant pineapple.

Usagi had dreamed about food before, so dreaming about a pineapple wasn't a stretch. But the dream seemed too vivid. While talking about Mamoru's dreams one day, Ami had mentioned something called lucid dreaming, where dreams felt like reality. Maybe Usagi was lucid dreaming.

"Sandy, do you know what these strange-looking fish are?"

"They look like the fish we saw during Squidward's Bubble Bowl."

"Holy cow, SpongeBob, these ain't fish. They're humans. We gotta get 'em to my treedome, fast."

Felt like a dog grabbed Usagi's wrist. Then she was being dragged through…sand? Was she at the beach?

Her dream had gone from a giant pineapple to talking things to a dog dragging her through sand. One of the stranger dreams she'd had.

She still couldn't open her eyes. It felt as though she'd been dunked into the Pacific Ocean, and the burning salt water kept her from opening them.

That's right. She and her friends had fought Fisheye, who'd created a portal that sucked the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask inside. Usagi had lost consciousness.

Maybe this wasn't a dream.

Fisheye's portal must've taken them someplace else. But to the bottom of the ocean, filled with salt water and immense pressure? Shouldn't Usagi have died? Unless her being a Guardian protected her from things that would kill ordinary humans.

She must be unconscious someplace else. Right, inside her room. Dreaming.

A metal door opened. Slammed shut. A siren rang, and the pressure and water drained away. Usagi was tossed onto a crunchy ground. She opened her eyes, could _see_. She lay on top of grass.

She pushed herself up, rubbing her eyes. Her friends lay around her, Chibi-Usa also rubbing her eyes. The sky was curved, like a dome.

Glass walls, like a dome, encased the open area. She could see outside like she would if she were in a dome, but only an ocean of blue was outside, like this dome was in the sky. Or underwater. Their being underwater was in the realm of possibility—the pressure, the cold, a villain named Fisheye sending them here, it all made sense.

What didn't make sense was the oak tree standing in the dome's center. Grass covered the ground. A hamster wheel stood to the right of the tree. Not like any dome Usagi had seen.

Maybe she was going to be used for an experiment. Made to run on the hamster wheel, live in this dome. Maybe the dome _was_ underwater, and she'd have to survive in the dome with limited food and water and no video games, scientists observing her. She'd seen these things on T.V. Being a Guardian, she didn't rule anything out, no matter how much the rules of reality were defied. Even if she didn't want to believe that she was underwater.

A brown creature caught Usagi's eye. She looked to her right.

A person wasn't there.

A squirrel and a sponge and a starfish were. All of them standing on two legs.

The sponge wore square pants and a tie, like a human. If he wasn't squat, square, yellow, and big-eyed, he'd look like a professional in Japan, going to work.

The starfish wore only a pair of shorts. Bigger than the sponge, round. No nose, unlike the sponge.

The squirrel stood on two legs, the tallest of the three. Donned a white suit, a hibiscus flower decorating her helmet. She unzipped the suit, revealing a two-piece bathing suit. Took off the helmet, placing it on the ground, shook her head like she was shaking out a head of hair, but she didn't have any hair. She was covered with fur.

Usagi and Chibi-Usa shrieked, crab-walked away.

"Holy crap!" Makoto said.

"Am I dreaming?" Minako said.

Ami looked sharply at her. "The same dream?"

"It's…possible," Rei said, staring at the animals, not sounding sure.

Mamoru gaped.

"I thought I was dreaming," Usagi said. "But…" She looked at each of her friends, touched Chibi-Usa's shoulder. "You all are really here?"

Chibi-Usa nodded twice. "I'm really here." She whipped her head toward Mamoru. "Are you really here?"

Mamoru shrugged. "I don't know."

Usagi clung to Mamoru's arm. "You have to know, Mamo-chan. You're the one who usually has these weird dreams."

He narrowed his eyes. "That's supposed to make me an expert?"

"Uh, 'scuse us."

Usagi went silent, she and her friends staring at the three animals.

The squirrel had spoken. It sounded like a human female. Complete with some sort of accent.

"You talked." Ami's voice was barely above a whisper.

"You wouldn't happen to have any moon-shaped symbols anywhere on your body, would you?" Minako said.

The starfish's eyes gleamed. "I don't. But I do have this weird scar on my butt that I got from sitting on the T.V. antenna once." He—his voice screamed that he was male—turned around and began to pull down the only piece of clothing he was wearing: his shorts. "Wanna see?"

"No!" Usagi, Chibi-Usa, Minako, and Makoto yelled.

"Strangely, I'm curious," Ami said under her breath. Must've thought no one had heard, but Usagi had Ami's number. Although Usagi had shouted "No," curiosity nibbled in the naughtier corner of her head.

The squirrel raised her eyebrows—how did a squirrel have eyebrows? "Odd question to ask, if we had moon-shaped symbols on us. Why?"

Minako stood so that she stood taller than all three of the animals, placing her hands on her hips. "First, we'd like to know how we got here, because where we come from, there are weird things happening." She looked around, pursing her lips, struggling to take in the dome, the tree, the wheel. "It seems that weirder things are happening here, wherever 'here' is."

Luna, Artemis, and Diana, the three cat guides with human forms, had moon-shaped symbols on their foreheads, and they could talk. Maybe Minako thought that the sponge, squirrel, and starfish also had moon-shaped symbols, meaning that they were related to the Moon Kingdom. If they did, which the starfish denied, then Luna, Artemis, and Diana had weird-looking relatives.

The starfish seemed trustworthy. Genuine. Unless these animals were all associated with Fisheye. Usagi and her friends must keep watching these animals and their surroundings to make sure that they hadn't been put anywhere hostile.

"Welcome to Bikini Bottom." The sponge grinned, outstretching his arms. "The home of many fish. If you're wondering how you got here, you appeared out of an ominous swirling vortex."

"So Fisheye was behind all this," Rei whispered so that only the Guardians and Mamoru could hear her.

"Wait, fish?" Ami said. "Are we…underwater?"

"Yep," the squirrel said. "The Pacific Ocean, to be exact."

Makoto shot onto her feet. "Well, we can't stay here. We have to get back to Japan."

"Unless y'all can conjure up one of them vortexes again, y'all are stuck here."

"We can't be stuck here. There has to be a way back." Makoto looked to her friends. "Think, everyone."

Ami caressed her forehead like she had gotten a headache. "I'm starting to believe we're dreaming. Talking animals on two legs. Sponges and starfish don't even have legs."

The sponge's brow creased. "We don't?" He lifted one leg and then the other. "What are these, then?"

"They're legs, SpongeBob," the squirrel said. "These humans don't know what they're talking about."

SpongeBob. Obviously the sponge wearing square pants and a tie.

"Actually, we do," Mamoru said. "Where we come from, squirrels stand on four legs, and starfish and sponges don't have legs at all."

The sponge blinked. "Strange world you guys come from."

"I don't think you have the right to tell us, that," Makoto said.

"I don't think y'all have the right to tell _us_ that," the squirrel said.

"Fair enough."

"We probably are dreaming," Minako said. "This dream might be telling us something." Her eyes pleaded with Rei for some answer, any answer about how to get back to Japan. "You're the supernatural psychic here. What's this dream telling us?"

"I have no idea." Rei averted her gaze to the ground. "Sorry I'm not helpful today."

The squirrel shook her head. "Y'all ain't dreaming. You really did come through a vortex, according to SpongeBob here."

"This can't be possible," Ami said. "We can't live in the same world with talking animals who walk on two legs."

"We live in the same world with monsters and demons and evil queens and past lives," Usagi said.

"Y-yeah…"

"Since it seems you'll be staying here a while," SpongeBob said, "let's introduce ourselves. I'm SpongeBob SquarePants."

Mamoru chuckled, glancing at the sponge's pants. "Fitting."

"I'm Patrick Star," the pink, round starfish said. "Nice to meet ya."

"My name's Sandy Cheeks," the squirrel said. "It's a pleasure to meet y'all, although I don't think it was a pleasure the way y'all came here."

Usagi remembered their fight with Fisheye, the pressure she'd felt upon waking up, the saltiness burning her eyes. "Definitely not." She smiled. "I'm Usagi Tsukino, by the way. Thanks for saving us from wherever we landed."

Ami looked outside the treedome, at the tall, metal buildings—not quite skyscrapers. "It looks like we really are in the ocean. I'm Ami Mizuno. My last name is means 'water of', so my name seems to fit this situation."

"I'd garner that you're land critters," Sandy said.

"Critters…" Minako said.

"I am too, obviously. I came from Texas, in the United States. Heard of it?"

Usagi and her friends glanced at one another.

"We're from Japan," Ami said. "We've studied the United States in school, but not the individual states themselves."

"That's too bad," Sandy said. "Although it's nice to be with some land critters for a change. No offense SpongeBob, Patrick. And if y'all are from Japan, then you're right near Bikini Bottom, where you are now. Bikini Bottom's in the Pacific Ocean."

"Who knew a place like this existed right in the Pacific Ocean? Talking animals right near us."

Mamoru cupped his chin. "Not to be morbid, but we should've died from the pressure of being at the bottom of the ocean. Why didn't we?"

Chibi-Usa looked around, mouth parted, like she wasn't paying attention to the conversation. "Maybe we weren't underwater long enough."

"That's true," Ami said. "It takes a little while for us to die from being underwater." She looked over herself and her friends. "Our bodies didn't start to break down, either, thankfully."

Chibi-Usa shuddered. "Break down? You mean, literally break like some crumbling building?"

"Thankfully not."

"I hope that our bodies won't break down at all." Rei didn't smile but watched the animals. "I'm Rei Hino. It's nice to meet you all, too." Her frown said otherwise. Maybe she thought the animals were part of the Dead Moon Circus. Usagi wouldn't be surprised—talking, walking animals would fit in perfectly in a circus. But if it took a while for humans to die underwater, and these animals were their enemies, then they would've left Usagi and her friends to die.

"And I'm Makoto Kino." Makoto clasped her hands behind her back. "You all are really nice for saving us."

"I'll say. I'm Minako Aino."

"I'm also Usagi Tsukino, but you can call me Chibi-Usa." She said more quietly, "You guys look like my stuffed animals at home."

"My name's Mamoru Chiba. To be frank, this whole situation's made me almost speechless."

"Understandable," Sandy said. "Sometimes, the fish down here leave me speechless too."

"What's that mean?" SpongeBob said.

"Nothing. Anyhow, I have a bunch of extra deep sea dive suits. Y'all can use them while you're here. I just hope they fit y'all. They'll keep you safe from the pressure out there, and you'll be able to breathe in `em."

"Sounds great," Minako said.

Now that Sandy mentioned wearing something else, Usagi looked at herself and her friends. They were still transformed into their alter egos, but to the animals, it looked like they were simply wearing sailor suits.

SpongeBob looked the Guardians up and down. "Looks like you guys came here on purpose, for a trip."

"No. We didn't," Makoto said. "Trust us."

So their identities weren't compromised, but that was probably because Bikini Bottom was a place where no one knew of the Guardians' existence.

As Sandy left to get the suits, Minako said, "We'd better stay here for the night. We're probably tired from the…whatever the hell happened to us, and we'll be able to think straight in the morning. I mean, I know we have to get back above ground as soon as we can, but it's impossible to right now."

"What can we do down here, though?" Rei said.

SpongeBob slid over to Rei. "Hang out with us."

Rei narrowed her eyes. "Please don't do that."

SpongeBob stepped back. "Why are you all in such a rush, anyhow?"

"Long story," Chibi-Usa sighed.

Sandy returned with the suits. "They should stretch to fit y'all. I had to make them that way so, when I gain a bunch of weight from hibernatin' every winter, I can fit them in case I have to leave the treedome for whatever reason."

Ami cocked her head. "You have winter down here?"

"Of course," SpongeBob said. "It snows and everything, and we have snowball fights."

"How do you have snow down here? The snow should melt once it hits the water."

"Uh, can you repeat the question, please?"

"It just does," Sandy said. "No rhyme or reason to it."

"Wow," Chibi-Usa said. "Just like us." Maybe these fish weren't as different as they first thought.

"I've designed my treedome so I can make it winter. I installed a few bells and whistles on it so it'll snow, get cold, the whole pecan pie."

Ami's eyes widened. "How did you do that?"

"A few basic inventions, like installing a giant thermostat and installing a snow-makin' panel up in the dome itself."

"I feel like this squirrel is smarter than me." Minako cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out."

"No offense taken." Sandy said. "It's strange, though. Humans are big compared to all of us down here. Y'all should be big, too. Which you are—you're taller than us, but not as tall as you should be."

"We must've shrunk when we came down here," Ami said. Compliments of Fisheye.

"We'll stay here, with you all, for a while. Right, Patrick?" SpongeBob slumped at Patrick, who was sitting, snoring. SpongeBob snapped his fingers, and Patrick startled.

Usagi blinked. Talking sea creatures walking on two legs. A squirrel underwater for who-knew-why. Snow and winter in the ocean.

What kind of world had Usagi and her friends ended up in?

* * *

Today was the big day.

Plankton rubbed his hands together. His devious, genius mind had conjured up his best plan for stealing the Krabby Patty secret formula yet.

Of course, with him being a genius, it took him only a day to come up with the plan. But it had taken him several weeks to build the Duplicatotron 3000—with his computer W.I.F.E.—Wired Integrated Female Electroencephalograph—Karen's help.

The Duplicatotron 3000 would produce an army of robots that would rampage around Bikini Bottom, obedient to Plankton's commands. While everyone—namely Krabs, SpongeBob, and the octopus—were distracted, they'd steal the secret formula.

Plankton's eyes gleamed at his creation. The Duplicatotron 3000 stood on a platform above the ground, a towering square machine with a funnel jutting from its side, which the robots would pop out of. A switch for "Obey" and "Not Obey" lay at its opposite side, the switch for "Not Obey" there in case the robots weren't distracting the Krusty Krab employees enough to steal the formula and they needed to be more rambunctious and destructive. Some would say that putting a "Not Obey" option in the first place was stupid, but the "Not Obey" option was a genius move.

Plankton wiped tears of admiration at his own genius, at his creation, from his eyes. "It's almost as beautiful as you, Karen."

Karen watched from the other side of the room. A monitor suspended on the wall, Karen regarded Plankton with an unreadable facial expression, likely because she _was_ a monitor, not a fish capable of showing facial expressions. All that was on her screen was a single green line that vibrated like a heart monitor in a hospital when she spoke.

"I'm flattered, Plankton," Karen said flatly. "Now, are you sure you have everything you need? Let's go through the checklist to be sure. Number one—"

Plankton waved his hand dismissively. "I'm a genius, Karen. I don't need a checklist. Except one that has the question, 'Is Plankton a genius?'"

"Frankly, no."

"Checklist comp—" He shot a glare at her. "Hey!"

"Seriously, you need to check—"

"I'm throwing in the switch now." Plankton jumped on one of Duplicatotron's levers, pushing it down to "On." Small robots popped out of the funnel hanging on top of the Duplicatotron, robots that Plankton called Fodder and would do most of the distracting. Short robots that were barely taller than Plankton himself. Each had a single green eye resembling a radar screen. Carried an electric wand-like weapon that shocked all who dared approach or, more accurately, accidentally step on them like many fish "accidentally" stepped on Plankton.

Plankton rubbed his hands together. "All right, my perfectly obedient robots." He jabbed his finger toward the door. "To the Krusty Krab."

The Fodders didn't roll toward the Krusty Krab.

They surrounded Plankton.

Their wands crackled with balls of electricity.

"Oh, no, no…" Plankton whipped his head in all directions, searching for help that wouldn't come. He couldn't have made a mistake. He was a genius.

His eyes bulged. He had set the Duplicatotron to "Not Obey." "Karen, why didn't you tell me that the Duplicatotron's settings weren't correct?"

"Because you're a genius, Plankton, and geniuses notice those things."

A Fodder lifted Plankton with its wand, and it carried him toward the Chum Bucket's door.

Plankton screamed in frustration. This couldn't be happening.

Another plan, unsuccessful.

The worst part was, they'd break all his good china.

* * *

SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, the Guardians, and Mamoru sat in the treedome, Usagi's head pounding, trying to think of a way out of the ocean. As powerful as the Guardians were, they couldn't create portals like Fisheye.

Sandy must've read her mind, because the squirrel said, "You could take the bus back to the surface."

Ami gawked and then quickly closed her mouth. "There are buses that can take us back to the surface?"

"'Course. There are also buses that take you down to Rock Bottom, too."

SpongeBob scratched the side of his face. "As I know all too well."

"But the next bus doesn't run until next month because there's so little demand for going to the surface. Lots of sea critters can't breathe in oxygen."

Minako groaned. The world above would be in peril until the Guardians returned to the surface. At least Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna could protect Japan until Minako and the others returned.

"I also have my rocket that y'all could use." Sandy glared at SpongeBob and Patrick. "I'd love to take y'all back tonight, but two particular folks damaged my rocket extensively when they decided to go on a joyride with it. They even used my one jetpack and broke that too. Then they broke parts of my lab that I used to create the jetpack while wisely decidin' to play hide-n'-seek in there, so I can't create another one."

SpongeBob chuckled while Patrick clasped his hands behind his back, whistling to the tree.

Usagi leaned to Minako, who sat beside her, and whispered, "Could we use our own powers to fly back to Japan?"

"I don't think so. One, that would use too much energy, especially with us being at the bottom of the ocean. Two, the pressure down here would make flight much harder, even wearing Sandy's suits. If we tried to fly up while fighting the pressure, we might not make it all the way back to Japan. So, for the foreseeable future, we're stuck."

Usagi leaned back, straightening, lips pursed.

Sandy clapped her hands. "That's all water under the bridge, though."

"That's right," SpongeBob said quickly. "For now…" He reached into his pockets and pulled out a robot figure and a racehorse that looked just like the racehorses on the surface. "Let's play a game of 'Robots and Racehorses'."

Rei rolled her eyes. "I'd…rather do something else."

"But there's nothing else to do," Usagi said.

She smiled tightly. "Thank you, Usagi."

The group sat in a circle. SpongeBob passed out robots and racehorses to the group. Patrick looked between his robot and racehorse, biting his lip. He leaned to Chibi-Usa beside him. "How can you tell which one is which?"

Chibi-Usa stared at him. She had no words.

"Help?"

He was serious. Chibi-Usa gathered herself. "The robot's gray and the horse is brown."

"Oh, okay. They make these things look exactly the same."

Chibi-Usa kept smiling. "Yes. Yes, they do."

SpongeBob crossed his legs. "I sure wish we could play with real robots." He looked to the sky. "If I had one, I'd name him Robo Junior. Or Zorlon." He wiggled his fingers. "Or _Frankie._ " He drew the name out.

Makoto snapped her fingers. "Like Frankenstein, except a robot."

"Robots are the wave of the future," Chibi-Usa said. "They're starting to create them in my centur— Ack. House. Home. Surface."

"You okay?" Sandy said.

Chibi-Usa coughed. "Yes, I just choked on air." That was the worst one she'd ever come up with.

"I choke on air all the time," Patrick said. "Real easy to do."

SpongeBob jumped up. "Wow, real robots above the sea. I'd love to go and play with them."

Patrick grinned. "You want real robots?"

SpongeBob nodded rapidly. Ami nodded, too.

"I can make them for you."

Chibi-Usa sunk. Not after his gaffe earlier. But a lot of people didn't seem too smart yet did amazing things.

Patrick pulled out a conch shell from his pocket. He deepened his voice. "This is my magic wishing shell. We put the toy robots in here." He put his toy robot inside the shell.

Makoto's mouth twitched. _Don't laugh_. "O-kay."

"We say the magic wishing words and then shake the magic wishing shell." He shook the shell up and down. SpongeBob shook up and down, too. Usagi bounced up and down and then caught herself and stopped, Mamoru casting her a look that asked if she was okay. Usagi nodded. "Then we go to sleep, and in the morning, we'll have real robots to play with."

Ami slouched. Disappointment fell over her. This shell wouldn't work, even if there were fish walking on two legs and defying everything Ami knew about the undersea world. Well, maybe rules were different here, and the shell would work.

"What happened to the magic wishing words?" Mamoru said.

Patrick pointed at Makoto. "She already said them."

" 'Okay' was the word?" Makoto said.

"Mm-hmm. It used to be 'Alakazamabananatikitanawishbanabitzvonviterschnauzer,' but I kept forgetting it."

"I wonder why," Rei said.

"Wise choice to change it, then," Minako said.

"How do you know it'll work, though?" Mamoru said.

"Because last week, I had only one big cookie crumb, and I was hungry, so I put the crumb in the shell, said the magic wishing word and, in the morning, I had lotsa little cookie crumbs."

Everyone was silent.

SpongeBob broke the silence, keeping it from turning into a more awkward moment than it already was. He stood, and a sudden wind blew from who-knew-where. "I proclaim that tomorrow will be the best. Day. Ever."

"If tomorrow's gonna be the best day ever," Sandy said, "we should get lots of rest."

A sudden tiredness crushed Usagi. "Oh, yes." She stretched, yawning. Hopefully, she would wake up back in Japan, not wherever she was now. Because she had quite an imagination, and this…situation had to be a result of her imagination, not real.

"Good night, everyone." SpongeBob sprung to his feet, Patrick following suit. He and Patrick, arm in arm, skipped to the treedome's vaulted door, both singing, "Gonna play with robots, gonna play with robots, gonna play with robots…"

SpongeBob and Patrick opened the door that led to the outside.

Robots were everywhere. Throwing Bikini Bottom's citizens on the ground and into walls, electrocuting them, smashing them with hammers—literally a "ham"-mer. Ham on a stick crushing people. One circular robot with many hands slapped one greenish-brown fish named Fred miles away. Where Fred landed, an explosion rocked the sea.

"My leg!" Fred cried.

Patrick jumped up and down. "Yay, SpongeBob, your wish came true."

Several fish shot glares at SpongeBob.

SpongeBob cringed. "Yay..."


	2. Onslaught

**Chapter Two: Onslaught**

SpongeBob watched the chaos around him. Robots attacking Bikini Bottom's citizens, a UFO-like, striped robot with hands sticking out of its body slapping fish around like dolls.

This was his fault. All because he wanted to play with real robots.

Fish shot glares at him. They'd heard Patrick say that it was SpongeBob's fault.

Even if Patrick hadn't said anything, SpongeBob would still shrink from shame and another feeling that made him want to bury himself and never come up again.

But the other part of him said that he couldn't stop. He had caused this, yeah, but now it was his duty to fix it. Patrick and Sandy would help him.

The humans, too.

Although they had come out of that bad-looking vortex, they weren't bad people. The humans looked strong and seemed nice, like the helping types. And they looked like the fish in Bikini Bottom; they wore clothes, had hair like fish. They were only afraid because they were transported someplace they weren't familiar with, was all. They may be strangers, but they were trustworthy.

Sandy raced out of the treedome, used to her deep sea dive suit. The humans waddled out, Usagi rolling, Mamoru trying to guide her onto her feet but fumbling.

Sandy whipped her head in all directions, trying to take in everything at once. "What in tarnation is going on out here?"

"SpongeBob's wish couldn't have actually come true." Minako grimaced at a Ham-mer robot smashing a fish with its giant ham on a stick, the fish flattening like a pancake. Either underwater physics were different, or that robot was incredibly strong. "I have an inkling that something—no, someone else is behind all this."

"Someone else has to." Rei managed a rare smile at SpongeBob, who looked upon the attack with a deep-set frown. "It can't be your fault, SpongeBob."

"Right." Mamoru placed a hand on SpongeBob's narrow shoulder. "We'll figure it out for you."

"I don't know, guys." SpongeBob couldn't look away from the fish being beaten senseless for who-knew-why. "The magic shell worked for Patrick."

"I…don't think it worked the way you think it did," Minako said.

"We can't just stand here." Chibi-Usa had to do something, no matter how little. "We have to stop this and find out where these robots came from."

"I don't see 'em comin' from any particular direction." Sandy cracked her knuckles. "Wonder if they talk."

Makoto's eyes widened. The squirrel fought? She shouldn't be too surprised at this point. As far as she knew, she was inside a cartoon in which there were no rules. The starfish could be a god capable of breaking the universe at any time.

"Let's see." Patrick ran to a small robot—a Fodder. "Hello, Mr. Robot. Do you know—" The robot wheeled closer to Patrick, raising its electric wand.

"Uh, Patrick," SpongeBob said, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Nonsense. This is the way they give handshakes." Patrick reached for the wand. Before Patrick's stupidity killed him, Minako unhooked her chain from her waist, lassoed it around Patrick. At the same time, Sandy lassoed a rope around Patrick. They both pulled Patrick backward, but not before Patrick grabbed at the crackling ball of electricity at the wand's tip. The electricity spread around the starfish, his teeth chattering, his body blackening, his hand turning to ash. The electricity spread to Minako and Sandy, and they writhed, Minako's and Sandy's eyes rolling.

The Fodder laughed, a mechanical laugh that made Chibi-Usa shudder. She'd hear that laugh in her nightmares.

She shook her head of the distraction. Here were her friends in trouble, and she was thinking about herself. She had to do better, not only as a Guardian, but also as a future queen.

Makoto summoned a wind—Jupiter Oak Evolution—and blew the robot and Patrick away from each other, also cutting off the electricity not only from Patrick, but also from Minako and Sandy. Minako, Sandy, and Patrick collapsed, all twitching, the robot crashing into a rock and breaking into pieces. The Guardians rushed to their fallen friends.

"Maybe that's the language those robots speak." Makoto raised an eyebrow at Patrick. "Lesson learned?"

"Yes, teacher." Those robots were able to change the temperatures in seconds, and Patrick didn't like sudden temperature changes, especially ones that made him feel like he was being covered in heat and electricity.

Minako smiled at Sandy. "Impressive." They used the same type of weapon, which could be to their advantage.

"I'm from Texas. We do lots of lassoin' there. If you don't know anythin' about Texas, you should know two things: One, everything big in Texas, and two, we love our lassoin'. And barbecue."

Usagi scratched the side of her face. "SpongeBob, do you have any weapons?"

"Uh-huh." From his pocket, SpongeBob whipped out a bubble wand. "I have a few bubble attacks up my sleeve."

"I mean, a weapon. To attack and fight with."

"This is it."

The Guardians and Mamoru stared at SpongeBob.

SpongeBob furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

"Bubbles?" Rei said. "Seriously?"

Ami raised a finger. "I use bubbles to attack."

Crimson colored Rei's cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'll be quiet now."

"That's great," SpongeBob said. "We can combine our attacks, like Minako and Sandy did."

"But if those robots use electric attacks," Mamoru said, "won't your…bubbles…conduct electricity and make their attacks stronger?"

"How about I show you?" SpongeBob raised his bubble wand. A far cry from the Fodder's electric wand.

"After Patrick's lovely demonstration," Minako said, "I don't think you should."

"Watch this." SpongeBob rushed to a Fodder that raised its electric wand at a fish. SpongeBob spun, hitting the Fodder with his bubble wand. It flew into the distance, exploding upon impact with the ground. The fish flailed and scurried away.

Minako rubbed her chin. "Not bad." She turned to Patrick. "What about your weapons?"

He rubbed his stomach. "Right here."

Rei suppressed a groan. Didn't want to offend any of her friends who might use their stomachs to attack, too.

"I'm gonna stay here and protect the treedome." Sandy placed a hand on her treedome's door. She glared at a Fodder wheeling to her treedome. She karate-kicked it into another Fodder, both shattering.

Makoto waddled to her. "You'll need help. Besides, I think we'll work well together."

"I say half of us stay at the treedome," Minako said, "while the other half go around the town and help others. Find the source of the robots, too."

"This might be a long-term problem." Ami glanced around. "It seems like there are hundreds of these robots."

"I need to go check on Gary," SpongeBob said. "I left him alone at my pineapple." To the Guardians and Mamoru, he said, "Gary's my pet snail. He moves very slowly. I don't think he could get away from the robots. We should check on Squidward too."

Chibi-Usa blurted, unprincesslike, "You live in a _pineapple_?"

"Under the sea?" Usagi said, just as unprincesslike. "Is it edible?"

SpongeBob placed a hand on his chin. "I've never tried eating my own house before."

"I tried it once," Patrick said. SpongeBob shot Patrick a look. The Guardians gave horrified looks to Patrick.

"Is that true?" Ami said.

"You never told me," SpongeBob said.

"You never asked. It was the middle of the night, and I was really, really hungry. It was three A.M., and I didn't have my nightly Krabby Patty. So I took a few bites of SpongeBob's pineapple instead. Very sweet."

"I'm going to pretend that whole part of our conversation never happened," Minako said. "Anyhow, I'll stay with Sandy, too. We have pretty similar attacks."

"I'll go with SpongeBob and Patrick," Ami said. "SpongeBob and I have similar attacks. And I'd like to see this pineapple under the sea."

"I live under a rock," Patrick said. "Is that interesting?"

Rei looked Patrick up and down. It wasn't interesting, but it made sense. "I'll go with you and SpongeBob. I use fire, and fire and trees don't mix."

"That should be enough folks with me," Sandy said. "Just Makoto, Minako, and I. The rest of y'all can go ahead with SpongeBob and Patrick. There's much more to do out there."

SpongeBob's eyes twinkled. "It's so cool that you can use attacks, too. Are you superheroes?"

"In a way," Makoto said.

"Y'all must be special humans," Sandy said. "While I was above ground, the humans never had any special powers. Unless I didn't see `em."

The Guardians and Mamoru exchanged looks.

"Should we tell them?" Usagi whispered.

"Maybe we should keep our identities quiet for now," Mamoru said, "even if they have seen us use our powers. And they _did_ see us come out of a portal."

"I don't think they'd hurt us," Minako said. "They would've let us die when they found us if they'd been our enemies."

"We have to use our powers to get through this with them," Rei said. "We might as well tell them."

"Fair point," Mamoru said.

"Your whisperin' isn't makin' me feel comfortable," Sandy said.

Minako stepped away from the other Guardians, closer to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy. "It's a long story, but the short of it is that we do have powers. We'll explain the rest to you once things calm down a bit."

"Agreed," Sandy said. "This isn't the time or place for a long explanation."

"Awesome…" SpongeBob and Patrick sang in unison.

"I can't wait to hear your origin story," SpongeBob said. "I wonder if it's the same as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's."

Ami blinked. Other humans living under the sea? They would come across these humans eventually, though, and now wasn't the time to ask. They'd used enough time standing and asking questions.

"Can I be your sidekick?" Patrick fisted his hips. "You can call me the Star of Pats."

"Yeah…" Minako said. "We'll discuss the details later." _Not even if hell froze over._

Chibi-Usa shook her legs. "I sure hope I can fight in this." She could barely hold her own without wearing an oversized, clunky suit.

Sandy, Minako, and Makoto rushed inside the treedome, Minako and Makoto moving like astronauts on the moon. SpongeBob and the rest of the humans hurried into Bikini Bottom, Usagi falling and rolling again, Mamoru settling for pushing her forward like she was a log.

The area that they ran through was residential, houses at either side of the road on which they ran—or attempted to run, in the humans' case. Seemed like Bikini Bottom would be a quiet place if it weren't for the robots. Despite the chaos, the sky was blue, like it was above ground. However, unlike the surface, flowers dotted the sky. Chibi-Usa's mouth parted. Were those flowers the same as clouds? Could they make rain like clouds? Was it necessary for it to rain underwater?

"How far do we have to go?" Usagi asked SpongeBob, her voice bringing Chibi-Usa back to reality.

"Not far," SpongeBob said. "I'm right down the street from Sandy."

" 'Down the street' could turn into a long walk," Ami said, "with all these robots around."

"But there are a lot of us," Mamoru said, "and we all know how to take care of ourselves, so we should be fine."

Chibi-Usa winced at a Fodder zapping a fish, the fish shooting into the air, smoke trailing, and into the distance, an explosion sounding where the fish landed. "Shouldn't we help everyone? I mean, there are fish exploding when they fall. That concerns me."

"We could try." Mamoru glanced at Usagi who, to her credit, smiled at him despite her position. "But with these suits on, I'm not sure we'd be able to fight well. We might end up hurting the civilians even more."

"And…does…it…look…like…I'm…able…to…fight?" Usagi said, saying a word each time she faced the sky.

Two G-Love robots, the hovering robots with UFO-like bodies patterned with purple and green, smacked a flounder between themselves like they were playing ping-pong with one of their six hands.

Chibi-Usa steeled herself. Now was a perfect time to start practicing. She aimed her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope that her father had bought her at one of the G-Loves.

SpongeBob stepped in front of her. "Let Patrick and me handle the robots. Since you all can't handle fighting yet."

Rei pursed her lips. She was being defended by a sponge and a starfish. "We'll have to figure out how to fight sometime. Now's as good a time as any."

"Yes," Usagi said. "But we need to learn how to walk before we fight. In my case, literally."

Chibi-Usa stepped beside SpongeBob. The G-Love at which she aimed was spinning. Its colors were mesmerizing. Beautiful green and purple mixing like different colored cake batter, two colors that complimented each other. Chibi-Usa could stare at those colors all day.

"There he is!"

Chibi-Usa looked sharply at where the voice came from. A blonde female fish cowering behind a boulder pointed her fin at SpongeBob. She must've been hiding from the robots; if she had wanted to remain hidden, though, she shouldn't have opened her mouth and shouted.

SpongeBob stiffened. Meanwhile, Mamoru rushed toward the G-Loves still slapping the first fish.

SpongeBob placed a hand on his chest. "Are you talking about me?"

"Yeah, I'm talkin' about you," the fish said, other fish nearby looking at the female fish, at SpongeBob, Patrick, and the humans. "You're the one who caused this whole mess. The news guy said whoever caused this— _you —_ is in big, big trouble."

SpongeBob trembled. "I-I am?"

"Oh, you bet your seahorses, you are." The fish spread her arms. "For good reason. Look at all, all _this_ going on."

The sponge hunched his shoulders, like he was trying to become less noticeable. "I, I…"

"A little help here, please?" the fish getting slapped said. "I can't feel my leg anymore." Mamoru was rushing toward the G-Loves, but he was running like he was in slow motion, compliments of the deep sea dive suit.

SpongeBob's eyes filled with tears that didn't drop.

Chibi-Usa sunk. That female fish was playing the blame game in such a serious situation.

"Hey, lady, it was an accident." Patrick slung an arm around SpongeBob. "And I was the one who suggested it." He squeezed SpongeBob. "So, it's both our faults. Two friends, turned wishmakers."

SpongeBob didn't smile. The female fish was right. Everything was his fault.

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"

A white beam shot out of Mamoru's hand, breaking through his suit's glove and vaporizing one of the G-Loves. The fish being slapped kept flying. None of the humans could reach the fish in time, and the fish crashed into the female one. They lay, motionless.

"At least she'll be quiet for a while," Mamoru said.

The male fish snapped his head at Mamoru, eyes wide in anger. "Why didn't you do that in the first place?"

Mamoru flexed his hand that had launched the beam. "It's tougher than it looks. Especially concentrating the energy through this suit." Before he could muster energy, Patrick jumped, belly-flopping onto the second G-Love and crushing it. He grabbed his forehead and peeled himself off the ground, onto his feet. The starfish could hold his own, too. Good.

SpongeBob stared into space. Needed to get back to his pineapple as soon as possible, not only for Gary, but also to digest what was happening. First, the humans coming—humans with powers, no less; now, the robots.

Time to save the people of Bikini Bottom. He had caused this mess. He'd fix it. Somehow. He had Patrick, Sandy, and the humans on his side. Together, they could do this.

"I've, I've got to learn how to stand up," Usagi said.

"Stay down for now, Usa." Mamoru waddled to Usagi and rolled her. "Once we're out of harm's way, we can…teach you how to walk." He sounded like he was treating Usagi like his daughter instead of his significant other. What would it be like to teach Chibi-Usa how to walk? He blushed lightly.

Rei stepped in front of Usagi and Mamoru, Ami stepping beside Rei. "We'll protect you." Rei wasn't sure how'd she use fire in the ocean, but there was a first time for everything. Especially using fire in a deep sea dive suit. For all she knew, she'd end up roasting herself alive instead of a robot. "Does fire work underwater?"

"Strangely, yes," SpongeBob said.

"Great." Although she thought it was strange that SpongeBob, of all…sponges, had said that something down here was strange. SpongeBob was one of the strangest creatures she'd come across, and that counted all the monsters she had encountered as a Guardian. The thing about SpongeBob was his humanness; he wore clothes, he had buck teeth, he spoke.

"I'm going to try it." Rei concentrated, but as soon as the fireball grew in her hand, it burst inside her suit, the flames breaking open her glove and jumping onto her face, which became ashen, smoke steaming from her hands, her ears, her nose. She coughed smoke.

"Ooh, Rei-chan," Usagi said. "I don't think you should try that again."

"Good advice, Usagi-chan." She coughed once more, felt like her face was engulfed in flames, stared ahead blankly, seeing but not seeing the robots before her, no thoughts entering her mind. This was what it was like to be attacked by her own attacks.

As the group moved forward, Rei shaking off the smoke clouding her head and her mind, the Guardians relied on SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mamoru to keep defeating the robots. They moved quickly, not stopping as they defeated the robots, leaving little time for robots to reach them. Once they adapted more to their deep sea dive suits, the other Guardians would be able to attack.

Within several minutes, they reached SpongeBob's pineapple.

It was a regular-looking pineapple, but with windows. Ami had never heard of pineapples being under the sea before. It was like she'd been transported to a whole other world instead of underwater, where people had gone and studied for at least forty years. No one had discovered a place like Bikini Bottom in which sea creatures spoke human languages and walked on two legs and wore clothes.

Should Ami tell scientists that everything they discovered might not be correct? How would the sea creatures feel if she exposed Bikini Bottom?

Ami was human, and if aliens came to study her, she wouldn't like it.

Furthermore, she was meeting several fish that she ate daily. Flounders, whitefish, pufferfish… Keeping them as pets was one thing, but interacting with them, holding conversations with them, saving their lives from robots that survived underwater without being short-circuited, and seeing that the fish had unique personalities like humans… She wasn't sure she'd be able to look at sushi the same way ever again.

SpongeBob ran past his house, the pineapple, to the tiki beside it. "Let's check on Squidward first. He's too squishy to fight. Squidward's really nice. You'll like him. He's Patrick's and my friend and neighbor. And Gary is smart enough to take care of himself. Squidward seems to get in trouble much more than Gary."

Rei squared herself to face another talking sea creature. Based on his name, Squidward sounded like a squid. Squids were big. How big would Squidward be?

The Guardians and Mamoru reached the tiki's front door. Ami couldn't help but rear back and cover her ears. Awful clarinet playing emanated from the tiki. There was no rhythm, no recognizable song. The clarinet squeaked at least every other note, as though a toddler was playing.

These sea creatures could play instruments, too? Even if they played badly, it was impressive. Based on Squidward's name, he would have a difficult time playing instruments, having eight thumbless tentacles instead of two hands with opposable thumbs.

Next to the tiki was a rock. Where Patrick lived. Under a rock.

There was no visible damage to either the pineapple, tiki, or rock. The clarinet playing indicated that whoever was inside was okay—carefree enough to play their instrument during such a crisis. Or they were trying to drown out the noise of the outside. Or a robot played the ear-splitting "music."

SpongeBob knocked on the door incessantly. "Squidward? Squidward, you in there? It's me, SpongeBob. I wanted to see if you're all right."

No answer, but the clarinet playing became louder.

Rei crossed her arms. Was this Squidward ignoring SpongeBob?

Neighbors not getting along wasn't a surprise, though. Rei stopped herself. Mustn't jump to conclusions. After all, Bikini Bottom and the fish living in it defied many stereotypes Rei had had about fish. Not that she'd had many so far, except which ones tasted the best.

She winced. She _ate_ a lot of these fish she interacted with. She pushed the thought out of her mind before anyone noticed that her expression had changed.

SpongeBob and Patrick called Squidward's name a few more times, but there was no answer. The clarinet playing kept going, without interruption.

"We're gonna have to knock it down," SpongeBob said. "Patrick, help me. On three."

"For the third time today," Mamoru said, "I don't think that's such a good idea. Squidward probably wouldn't appreciate you knocking his door down."

"His life is at stake here." SpongeBob pointed his shoulder to the door, Patrick doing the same. "One, two…"

"We could—" Usagi started.

"Three!" SpongeBob and Patrick rammed their shoulders into the door, knocking it off its hinges and revealing the inside of the tiki, with a bamboo floor and awful paintings of squids hung on the walls. SpongeBob managed to stop, but Patrick kept going, the door flying alongside him. Squidward, an octopus, clarinet in two hands, the rest of his tentacles on the floor, a music stand in front of him, shrieked, dodging as Patrick slammed into the wall, the door shattering the music stand. Several paintings clattered onto the ground, some of them facedown, thankfully—Chibi-Usa would have nightmares about those paintings, too, with the squids with mismatched, red eyes, O-shaped mouths, and noses as large as elephant trunks.

At least Squidward and the clarinet had been saved.

Squidward's teal face reddened, his large nose reddening, too. He wore only a brown shirt but no pants. Chibi-Usa frowned. Maybe they didn't make pants that covered four legs. But there were so many unique creatures down here that clothing designers had to.

"SpongeBob!" Squidward yelled, even though Patrick had been a bigger part of the accident.

"I…was going to suggest that we look in the windows first to see if any robots are inside or if anything was destroyed," Usagi said. "But this worked. Even if Squidward is very annoyed right now."

" 'Very annoyed' is an understatement." He sighed. "You think I'd be used to this sort of thing by now." His tone was tired, like this was an everyday thing that he was sick of happening. His eyes widened so that they were as big as his nose, and he focused on the humans, forgetting the door.

"Humans," Squidward breathed. He hadn't seen humans since he'd shown Squilliam up with his newly formed band at the Bubble Bowl. Even then, he hadn't gotten close to them.

But these humans, they were so close.

They ate fish, too. Including octopi.

Squidward was an octopus.

Squidward hollered, pointing at the humans and scrambling away, pressing his back against the wall. "You barnacleheads brought humans here?" His neighbors had reached a whole new level of idiocy. The humans could be planning to eat them, too. As much as the two annoyed Squidward, he didn't want them to be eaten.

"What's wrong, Squidward?" SpongeBob said.

" 'What's wrong? What's _wrong?'_ You should know very well what's wrong. Humans, they, they…" He hollered again.

Usagi smiled at Squidward, but he hollered more loudly. Either Usagi was truly scaring the octopus, or her smile wasn't so great.

Squidward had to get these humans out of the ocean before they ate everyone in Bikini Bottom. But how? He was trapped in his own home.

Mamoru raised his hands. "I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding."

"No misunderstanding here," Squidward said. "I know exactly why you're down here. Exactly. Why." He could fake his power. He took the best battle stance he knew—one that hopefully said that he knew what he was talking about. "Stay away. I know kung-fu."

Mamoru's mouth twitched. Squidward didn't know what he was talking about.

"I know what you're thinking." Ami also raised her hands. "We're not here to eat you or any fish. We ended up here by mistake."

"Sure. I bet you caused this whole robot mess."

"No, we didn't."

SpongeBob averted his eyes to the wall. "Actually, that was me. I made a wish, and it came true."

Squidward groaned. "I should've known that all this happened because of _you."_ SpongeBob never lied, one of the sponge's better qualities. SpongeBob messed a lot of things up, but Squidward didn't think that SpongeBob was smart enough to cause this whole mess. Then again, SpongeBob continually impressed him, in the wrong way, with how much he messed things up.

"We're trying to solve the problem now." Usagi rolled inside the tiki, the others entering, too. "We're going to stay here until we do, then we're going back to the surface, to our world."

Chibi-Usa held back the urge to pinch her nose. The tiki smelled like a combination of rotten eggs and sweat. Maybe the odor was how the sea and octopi smelled.

Squidward scowled. "How do I know that you didn't convince SpongeBob that he caused the problem?" SpongeBob was a naïve, gullible fool. "You happen to show up right as the robot problem happens, and I'm not supposed to be suspicious?"

"You have every right to be suspicious," Mamoru said. "I would be, too. But we've been fighting alongside SpongeBob and Patrick to get here and make sure you're all right. SpongeBob said you might have a hard time defending yourself."

Squidward's eyes softened at SpongeBob. The little square guy was looking out for him. He shouldn't have been surprised, though. SpongeBob had let Squidward stay with him when he lost his job at the Krusty Krab because of a ten-thousand-year-old dime.

Maybe Squidward should start treating SpongeBob more kindly.

"Squidward, do you have any ideas about how to solve this robot problem?" SpongeBob said. "Usagi and the rest of us have been trying to come up with a way to solve it. You're one of the smartest guys I know."

Squidward straightened. "But of course," he said, his voice deeper. He needed to treat SpongeBob more kindly. "Now, to solve the robot problem…" He looked out the window, at the robots wheeling and floating around. He hadn't smiled yet today. Some fish said he had a permanent scowl, but that wasn't true at all. "Why don't you jump around like an idiot? That should at least make me smile." And the little square guy looked so distressed, he needed to loosen up a bit, too.

Rei suppressed another groan. Squidward must be sarcastic.

Nevertheless, SpongeBob did what Squidward asked. He jumped around Squidward's room.

"Ooh, me too, me too." Patrick jumped around, too.

Their jumping made Chibi-Usa want to jump.

A vein popped on Squidward's neck. Squidward remembered why he didn't treat SpongeBob kindly. He was too annoying.

"Okay, okay, okay, just stop jumping already!" Squidward reached into pockets that were not in his shirt, but where they would be if he were wearing pants. Ami's eyes bulged. He pulled out a Golden Spatula of what looked like his skin. "If you take this Golden Spatula, will you please go away?"

SpongeBob and Patrick stopped at once. Rei was getting annoyed, too.

"G-G-G-G-Golden Spatula..." SpongeBob floated over to Squidward like he was riding a cloud. "It's too precious to use at the Krusty Krab." He looked at Squidward like royalty. "Squidward, what should I do with such a generous gift?"

"How should I know? You figure it out."

"But you're the smartest guy I know."

Squidward's eyes lit up again. That was enough of messing with SpongeBob today. He wanted SpongeBob, Patrick, and their whole gaggle of humans to leave him alone. "No, SpongeBob, I don't know. Maybe someone else will."

"Do I win anything?" Patrick said.

"Just my everlasting annoyance."

"Yay!" Patrick jumped onto Squidward's clarinet stand, crushing it. A sock fell from the ceiling and plopped on Squidward's head. The odor grew stronger.

"Hey, it's my sock." Patrick snatched the sock off Squidward's head. "I didn't know you wore my socks, too, Squidward. I didn't even know you could wear them on your head."

"Should I even respond?" Squidward had been wondering where that odor had been coming from. He knew that SpongeBob and Patrick—likely Patrick—had been involved. Patrick had come to his house to use the bathroom, saying he couldn't make it the three feet to his own rock to use the bathroom, and Squidward had made the mistake of letting the starfish inside. He should've known that a starfish that didn't wear socks would somehow leave one of his socks in his house and that said sock would end up on the ceiling. Squidward had spent days trying to figure out where the odor was coming from. He had even asked Patrick, and the starfish, predictably, didn't know.

"You're the best, Squidward," SpongeBob said. "Not only did you give me a pretty Golden Spatula, but you gave Patrick his lost sock." He threw his arms open for a hug. Squidward put a tentacle on SpongeBob's forehead, keeping the sponge from coming any closer.

"Don't touch me."

* * *

Patrick lifted his rock with one hand. For such a chubby starfish, Patrick was strong.

Chibi-Usa and the rest of the Guardians peered inside. Nothing but sand, a television, and a refrigerator.

Patrick grinned. "The robots haven't gotten to my house yet."

Chibi-Usa pursed her lips. Maybe because there was nothing inside to get.

"Wait a minute." Patrick jumped inside his rock. "My sock collection is gone." He clenched his hand. "Must've been those robots."

"I didn't know you collected socks," SpongeBob said.

"Yeah, I had a lot of them. Could you guys keep an eye out for them and help me get them back?"

"Of course, Patrick. We're your friends, after all."

Usagi nodded. "Yep."

"For every ten socks we find, I'll find and give you a Golden Turkey Baster."

"Uh, spatula?" SpongeBob said.

"Bless you."

"What are these Spatulas used for, anyhow?" Ami said.

"They're worth a lot of money," SpongeBob said. "They'll get you into certain places in Bikini Bottom, like Kelp Forest and Sand Mountain. Those places are toward the other side of Bikini Bottom, though, so we won't reach them for a while."

"Patrick, where did you get these 'turkey basters' from?" Rei also wondered why the robots were more interested in socks than spatulas that looked like they were made of gold.

"Turkeys, of course."

Lastly, the group walked to SpongeBob's pineapple. SpongeBob reached for the knob, gulping. What would he find inside?

SpongeBob licked his lips and opened the door.

Inside, everything had been destroyed. His couch had been broken in half, stuffing piled on the floor, and on his wall was spray-painted in red, "Bikini Bottom Stinks!"

Gary stood beside the graffiti. SpongeBob ran to the snail, sweeping Gary up in a hug. "Gary, you're okay. I'm so glad the robots didn't get you."

Gary purred, nuzzling his head to SpongeBob's cheek.

"I take it you didn't do that, did you?" SpongeBob pointed to the graffiti.

"Meow."

Ami's mouth parted. SpongeBob was communicating easily with the snail, like he could understand what that snail was saying. Two-way communication between two different species was incredible.

SpongeBob sat on his destroyed couch, avoiding one of the protruding coil springs. Patrick tried to sit right next to him, which was where one of said coil springs was.

"Watch out!" Mamoru said. But Patrick had sat right on the coil spring and didn't move, sat like the coil spring was a normal part of the couch, the most comfortable cushion in the world.

Mamoru's mind blanked. Not only was he speechless outwardly, but his brain was speechless, too. No thoughts went through his head.

Chibi-Usa gaped. Patrick was more oblivious than she thought. Couldn't tell whether that was good or bad.

Ami looked out the window. The chaos had died down. Most fish had retired to their homes, going inside might not help much. The robots seemed to find their way into every nook and cranny in Bikini Bottom.

SpongeBob couldn't stop thinking about what the female fish had said. All. His. Fault. He shrank into the couch, not hearing Gary's concerned, "Meow…"

Chibi-Usa couldn't stop watching SpongeBob, his reactions. Maybe he didn't feel inadequate like she sometimes did, but she could relate. Sometimes, it felt like things were all her fault, too. Like that time she turned into Black Lady. She'd caused a lot of damage. None of it was irreversible, and Chibi-Usa had come out stronger for it. She'd strengthened her mother, Usagi, and the other Guardians, too. Maybe these painful things had to happen so one could come out stronger.

How could she put her thoughts into a coherent sentence?

Usagi beat her to it. "If there's one thing I've learned, SpongeBob, it's that everything happens for a reason. We'll figure out that reason together." Even though she was lying on the floor, trying to learn how to walk, much less stand, she sounded wise. Like the future princess she was growing into.

Chibi-Usa could never hope to attract Helios the way she was now. If only she was more princesslike. More like Usagi. The body switch she had undergone, making her a teenager instead of a little girl, hadn't given her much confidence; although she was a teenager physically, she lacked maturity and elegance.

"We'll stay down here as long as it takes, until we defeat all these robots," Usagi said.

"Is that okay, with everything happening above ground?" The last time Rei had read the flames, just before Fisheye's attack and their ending up in the ocean… She turned toward SpongeBob's bedroom. "SpongeBob, if you don't mind, Usagi and the rest of us need to talk in your room. Privately."

SpongeBob's mouth twisted into a smile, the first time he'd smiled since he'd been in the treedome. Rei's heart lifted. "Ooh, you're keeping a secret?

Rei nodded. "I'm not trying to be offensive to you, but you probably wouldn't understand what we're talking about."

"Then there's no reason why you can't talk about it right in front of me and Patrick. Besides, I could help you with any problem you might be having, like you're so generously helping me and Bikini Bottom."

"There's no harm in talking about it in front of them." Ami shifted her gaze to Gary, whose eyes brimmed with intelligence. The snail, of all creatures, might understand what Ami and her friends were talking about, but it likely wouldn't bring much harm.

"Okay." Rei straightened. "I was reading the flames right before Fisheye transported us down here, and things don't look good. The Dead Moon Circus is going to become more ferocious and persistent in their attacks in the next few days. The Outer Guardians should be able to defend Earth—above ground—until we can get back to Japan."

Relief touched Usagi. The Outer Guardians were strong enough to defend Earth on their own. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long for Usagi and her friends to figure out how to return above ground. Maybe some of the Guardians could defend Japan while the others remained here to defend Bikini Bottom.

"I bet you all really want to go back, huh?" SpongeBob reached into his pocket, taking out his bubble wand. "I can blow a bubble that'll take you back to your world. I'll blow it on you all, it'll surround you, and up you'll go."

"No. We have to stay here until everything is resolved." Usagi couldn't leave this world in shambles, even if it was so unlike her own. Even if they physics here were so different that one bubble could carry five teenagers, a full-grown man, and an elementary school-aged girl.

Ami leaned onto her right foot. "We could try flying back to Japan. The problem is, even though we're Guardians, we're still human, which means that we're susceptible to all issues normal humans are also susceptible to. Meaning, if we try to fly back to Japan, the ocean's pressure could crush us, even if we conjure up shields to protect us. Not to mention the robots might distract us and cause our shields to shatter, especially if those robots can fly." She looked over herself. "These suits are giving us a tougher time using our powers, anyhow. Mamoru-san, you had a few issues getting out your attacks, and Rei-chan, you hurt yourself when you tried to use your own. These suits aren't the best for fighting."

"Sandy invents things all the time," SpongeBob piped up. "She could invent a lighter suit for you all, if you ask."

"It's worth looking into," Ami said. They didn't have anything to lose. "Besides, Bikini Bottom needs help with the robots, anyhow. For all we know, the Dead Moon Circus could have something to do with all these robots."

"Robots might not be their style," Mamoru said.

"I hope everyone above ground is doing okay," Chibi-Usa said. "I wish there was some way we could check on them."

"If I've learned anything during these past months," Ami said, "it's that people are very resilient and tough. Setsuna-san and the other Outer Guardians should be protecting Japan well, too."

"Uh, I don't really understand what you're saying," SpongeBob said, "but if I can help in any way, let me know. I appreciate you staying here to help us out with these robots."

Patrick pounded a hand on his chest. "Me too." His eyes twinkled. "You said you're going to a circus? I _love_ circuses. I wanna go."

"No, you don't," Rei said. "Trust us."

"Let's gather the rest of our friends," Mamoru said. "Then, we can come up with a plan together about how to best tackle these robots."

SpongeBob jumped off the couch, raising his bubble wand. "All right. We'll save everyone, and I'll—we'll—fix this."

Thus began the battle to take back Bikini Bottom.


	3. Return Fire

**Chapter Three: Return Fire**

Where to start?

The first thing to do was contact the rest of their fellow Guardians. Thankfully, their communicators were working; Ami called Minako, who told them that she, Sandy, and Makoto hadn't gotten attacked at the treedome and were on their way to the pineapple.

Once the rest of their team arrived, discussions about the next steps began.

Everywhere was being destroyed by the robots, so everywhere was an option for beginning to clear out the robots, find their origin to stop them. More were being produced every minute. SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, the Guardians, and Mamoru couldn't be everywhere at once, so they had to settle for two or three places at a time. In the residential area were Jellyfish Fields, Downtown Bikini Bottom, and Goo Lagoon.

Sandy could swim, and SpongeBob and Patrick couldn't. The group decided that her going to Goo Lagoon would be best.

"Meow?" Gary said.

SpongeBob waved his hand dismissively. "Pfft. Downtown doesn't have that many huge gaps. I can jump them."

"Meow, meow, meow."

Gary's statement was worth thinking about, as with most things Gary said. SpongeBob visualized downtown. The gaps between the rooftops _were_ wide.

"Who says I need to go on the rooftops, anyhow? Besides you, Gary."

"We might need to jump those gaps to find some of the robots, maybe find their source," Ami said. "And the robots could've blown up parts of the ground, making larger gaps that you can't cross. Usagi and the rest of us shouldn't have much trouble crossing those gaps, though." They could fly, but Ami kept mum about it; didn't want more distractions.

"Let's keep things simple," Minako said. "SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, you all are familiar with…Bikini Bottom." She'd almost said, "this place," it was so foreign. Bikini Bottom had not only different customs, but also different physics than above ground. Talking fish were one thing, but fish exploding when they fell was another. "One of you go to Jellyfish Fields, the other to Downtown Bikini Bottom, and the other to Goo Lagoon. I suggest Sandy go to Goo Lagoon, since she knows how to swim, like SpongeBob said." She placed a hand on her chest. "Myself and my fellow Guardians can handle those gaps downtown."

Usagi palmed her hand. "Sounds like we have a plan. I think I've finally got walking under control now." She'd been standing since Minako, Makoto, and Sandy had arrived, and she'd been walking around the room, up and down stairs.

SpongeBob, Ami, and Usagi would go to Jellyfish Fields; Patrick, Chibi-Usa, Mamoru, and Rei would go to Downtown Bikini Bottom (Usagi huffed to herself that, once again, Chibi-Usa got to spend time with Mamoru, but it was for the best since Rei didn't want to risk igniting the Fields or not having her firepower work in Goo Lagoon, where water covered the area), and Sandy, Minako, and Makoto would go to Goo Lagoon.

"Just so y'all know," Sandy said, "the water in Goo Lagoon isn't actually water. It's goo, which is like water, but not water."

Makoto winced. "That…doesn't sound pleasant."

Sandy kept quiet about goo being sludge from above ground. Didn't want to scare the humans any more than they were already. The culture shock of coming to a place like Bikini Bottom was exponential, to say the least.

"Will Gary be all right here by himself?" Usagi said.

"Meow."

"Of course," SpongeBob said. "He takes care of himself while I'm at work. And he was fine against those robots who ravaged my home. Besides, he has a way of going wherever he wants, whenever he wants."

Ami blinked at the snail. The snail blinked one eye and then the other. Then, Gary winked at her.

The snail would probably be all right.

"We'd better get going," SpongeBob said. "We have a lot of work to do." He snapped his fingers at a snoring Patrick beside him, startling the starfish awake. "We certainly shouldn't be asleep on the job."

* * *

Squidward looked at the sheet music of Beethoven's Third Symphony in front of him. He didn't feel like playing it. Instead, he would improvise—play whatever he felt like. Whenever he improvised, his music was as beautiful as, or, dare he think it, more beautiful than the music that was written by famous composers, like Bach and Beethoven. Unfortunately, great artists were discovered when they were dead; perhaps that would be the case with Squidward, too.

Squidward put his clarinet to his mouth and began playing a sad melody, one that reflected the state of Bikini Bottom, the attacks from the robots.

Later, if SpongeBob and the humans defeated the robots, he would play a victory song dedicated to them. Anything to drown out that victory screech.

One of the tiki's windows shattered, and a G-Love floated inside, rubbing together a pair of its six hands. Squidward hollered. Now he needed SpongeBob, and SpongeBob wasn't here. Of course SpongeBob was here when Squidward didn't need or want him there.

A _thud_ sounded from downstairs. Squidward rushed to the stairs. The front door had been knocked down, and robots filed in.

The G-Love that had entered first tickled him with its obscene number of fingers. Squidward broke into laughter. The G-Love lifted him, still tickling him, making it sound like his impending doom was funny. No one would come to Squidward's rescue if they thought he was watching a sitcom. Squidward didn't have a television in his home. He'd rather focus on music and higher-class entertainment like operas instead of the drivel that was broadcasted daily.

As the G-Love carried him downstairs, other robots rushed past, took out magic markers, and drew mustaches and hair on his self-portraits. The hair looked decent, but the mustaches were unacceptable. How dare they defile his beautiful artwork? Squidward's mouth was so full of laughter that he couldn't use it to curse the robots.

One of the robots picked up his clarinet and began playing nonsense, something that he would expect from a dog trying to play a clarinet.

The G-Love threw Squidward outside, facefirst into the dirt. He spat out the dirt and looked around for any sign of SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, or the humans. No sign whatsoever. Where on Earth had they gone?

Other citizens running from the robots slowed. One said, "That's some beautiful music coming from there." He pointed to the tiki. "There's no way that's coming from Squidward."

"Hey!" Squidward said. A Fodder zapped the fish's behind, and the fish jumped, smoke billowing from his behind, and scurried away. The fish had insulted Squidward's music, but that didn't justify him being shocked. Especially on a sensitive area.

A crowd of robots were between Squidward, the pineapple, and the rock, and Sandy's house was too far away for Squidward to go on his own, fighting through the robots. He had to get somewhere safe.

Jellyfish Fields was close to him. He hated jellyfish, but it was better than staying where these robots were.

He ran into the Fields, ready for a day of being electrocuted by jellyfish after being nearly electrocuted by robots.

* * *

"Plankton!" SpongeBob said as soon as he and the rest of the group stepped out of the pineapple. A small green plankton stood near a rock, his hand on his forehead, which was mainly one large eye. He didn't seem to have heard SpongeBob. Instead, he mumbled, "How could I, Karen?" over and over.

Ami gaped. No plankton like this were in any of the marine books she read. "Who?"

SpongeBob set his jaw. "He's the most evil person in Bikini Bottom. His goal is to steal the krabby patty secret formula."

Minako raised an eyebrow. " _That's_ what makes him so evil?" Based on his mumbling, it seemed like Plankton had someone he cared for who was being attacked by the robots, and he couldn't figure out how to save her.

"Right, and he'll steal it by any means necessary." SpongeBob counted off with his fingers. "He's tried brainwashing me, making me work for him and make a version of the krabby patty for his own restaurant, the Chum Bucket, and he's tried manipulating me by claiming to make me more assertive. He's posed as Mr. Krabs, my boss. The thing is, he's trying to steal the formula because his restaurant doesn't get any customers. Everyone goes to the Krusty Krab to eat. I've never eaten at the Chum Bucket myself, but I've heard the food is awful." He straightened his tie. "I'm a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, by the way, and I cook the famous krabby patties."

"Sounds like he needs to make better food," Rei said.

"But he thinks the only way is to steal the secret formula."

Rei narrowed her eyes at Plankton. "SpongeBob, you said he was the most evil person in Bikini Bottom, but I'm detecting only one percent evil from him."

"One percent evil?" Plankton yelled. For a small creature, he had a loud voice.

"You can sense evil?" SpongeBob said. Hadn't heard Plankton at all, thanks to the mention of Rei's powers.

"Y-yes. It's part of my…abilities." It might not hurt to tell SpongeBob about more of her powers.

"I guess that means that most of the citizens here aren't very evil." Usagi let out a breath. "That's a relief."

Rei pursed her lips. Instead of evil, most people in Bikini Bottom seemed stupid, or lacked common sense. Stupid people led to situations like the robot situation that they were in now.

"Hey, don't ignore me. I'm more than one percent evil." Plankton gestured toward himself. "Come over here, and I'll show you."

He didn't seem harmful. Minako stepped forward. She could handle such a small creature, although, as a Guardian, she learned not to judge a book by its cover. Plankton didn't look like he had any powers of his own.

Plankton stepped back. "Uh…"

The Guardians and Mamoru surrounded Plankton.

"Hi. I'm Plankton." He gulped. "Nice to meet you, you _humans,_ who are probably very pleasant, giant humans. Good-looking humans." Another gulp. "You don't…eat plankton, do you?"

Makoto's eyes flashed. "It's never too late to start."

Plankton darted his eyes, searching for a way out. Between their legs? No, they could clamp their legs and squish him.

"What are you doing all the way over here, Plankton?" SpongeBob said, he, Patrick, and Sandy stepping near the group.

Plankton remembered himself, straightening. "Those robots kicked me out of the Chum Bucket. I'm trying to think of a way to regain control of it."

"Where did they come from?"

"I don't know." He kicked a rock. "Not from me, though." He told the story of how the robots had showed up out of nowhere and called him names, threw things, bent all his spoons that he loved like children.

Patrick blew his nose. "That's so sad." He broke into a cry, leaning on SpongeBob, who patted his back.

"We have to stop them before they bend all my forks."

Patrick shot upright, balling his hands. Both he and SpongeBob cried, "Not the forks." Rei couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You did this, didn't you?" Minako said.

Everyone fell silent. Patrick stopped crying.

"Did what?" Plankton said.

"Don't play dumb. You started this whole robot mess."

Sandy nodded in agreement.

Plankton rubbed one of his antennae. "I don't know what you're talking about. What would give you the idea that a little creature like me would do such a terrible thing?"

"Because you said you're more than one percent evil and then threatened us," Rei said.

"Because why would robots go after your spoons?" Usagi said.

"Because your denial of causing all this was suspiciously specific," Mamoru said.

Plankton crossed his arms. "Even if I did, what would you do about it?"

"Ask you how to stop it," Sandy said.

"Heck if I know. Even if I did cause all this, which I didn't, I still wouldn't know how to stop this. Because I didn't cause this."

"Listen, if you're trying to get back into the Chum Bucket, it'd make sense for you to tell us where these robots came from. That way, we could work together—"

Plankton gagged. "Yuck! Work together? I don't know the meaning of those words."

"I almost made myself barf, too. Working together with you sounds worse than playing with a porcupine in Death Valley."

"Well, if you need me, I'll be here, washing away my sorrows." He pulled out a handkerchief from…Ami couldn't tell, but it was the same place Squidward had gotten the Golden Spatula—and wiped his eye.

"We're obviously not going to get anywhere," Sandy said. "I say we leave."

Patrick waved at Plankton. "Bye-bye, my future overlord. Please vaporize me next time."

"Oh, yes, I'd love to." Plankton almost laughed, but Rei's and Makoto's glares quieted him.

Plankton watched the group of humans and the three idiots walk away, split into three groups, relief washing him. The humans were onto him. Despite their appearances, they looked powerful. He had a feeling he had gotten close to being crushed by them. Or worse, eaten.

If only Plankton had humans under his own control.

How had SpongeBob, his future minion, and the squirrel gotten those humans to work for them? They weren't smart enough to create a mind-controlling device—well, possibly the squirrel. But those humans would do anything for SpongeBob, including defend the krabby patty secret formula. Plankton needed humans of his own to steal the secret formula. Humans who Krabs and SpongeBob couldn't defend against.

The humans had proven themselves to be smart, breaking through his foolproof lies to find out that he was the one who had caused the robot problem. They wouldn't be as easy to control as he thought, but they'd be a great asset to his taking over Bikini Bottom.

His own inventions had taken him out of his own home, away from Karen, who couldn't move or defend herself. The robots were mobile. Hopefully, Karen wouldn't cheat on him with those tempting robots. If those robots did anything to Karen… Plankton didn't know what he would do, but he'd likely be killed doing it.

Plankton may be small, but he had a bigger brain than those humans.

He'd find humans of his own to control, and together, they'd not only steal the krabby patty secret formula, but they'd also take control of the robots once again and take over Bikini Bottom, controlling all the fish in Bikini Bottom and crushing those who defied him.

He needed a plan.

As long as SpongeBob and his posse were working, Plankton could relax. They'd fight through Bikini Bottom and clear a path for him to return to the Chum Bucket, where he could reverse the switch and command the robots again.

In the meantime, he could draw a blueprint for mind-controlling devices for SpongeBob's humans, ones that were much more advanced than the one he had used on SpongeBob to steal the krabby patty.

He chuckled. Then, his chuckle broke into laughter. Several fish looked at him. He switched to a fake coughing fit, waving his hand.

If he could last against those humans and the robots, then he could gather his own human army by going above ground, once he regained control of the robots, of the Chum Bucket, and saved Karen.

Then everything would begin.

* * *

Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob rode in the backseat of a taxi. Despite the robot takeover, the taxis were running. What a world.

"There are a lot of jellyfish in Jellyfish Fields," SpongeBob said. "Their stings hurt pretty badly. If the sting is severe enough, then you'll need to get jelly from King Jellyfish himself." His eyes sparkled, and his voice became majestic. "The _king_ of the jellyfish."

With her luck, Usagi would be the first one stung by a jellyfish, and they'd have to get the king's jelly anyhow. "Is King Jellyfish nice?"

"I've met him a few times. He's nice as long as you don't mess with him." He pulled a book out of his pocket. "He's the father of all the jellyfish in Bikini Bottom. He doesn't come out often, even if you catch or hurt one of his jellyfish children. The jellyfish are great at defending themselves. I know from lots of experience."

"What makes the jellyfish here angry enough to sting you?" Ami said. Was it the same as what made bees sting?

"Don't mess with them, and they won't sting you." SpongeBob's smile widened. "I've gotten stung plenty of times, and I've come out fine."

Usagi would say so, too. She guessed. Everyone here was weird; she couldn't tell the difference between "fine" and "not fine."

The taxi screeched to a halt, its tires coming within inches of the green fields. The three left the taxi, and it screamed into the distance. Usagi and Ami walked slowly into Jellyfish Fields, not only because of their deep sea dive suits. Jellyfish Fields was a sea of green, rolling hills. To their right was goo, the underwater version of water. Usagi would never touch it.

Usagi noticed Ami gaping. She nudged Ami. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful," Ami said. "I never imagined a place like this was underwater. It looks as natural as a field above ground."

Pink jellyfish floated everywhere, like birds without wings. The trees were similar to the ones above ground except, instead of leaves, red, pillow-like heads topped them.

Usagi's eyes softened at the beauty around her. Ami was right. Jellyfish Fields could be fields above ground. All of Bikini Bottom was beautiful. The sand, the roads, the sky so much like the roads above ground. The houses were each unique and beautiful.

Maybe this world wasn't that different.

A scream interrupted her reverie. Ahead, Squidward, his nose wrapped in bandages and a bandage on his forehead, ran from a Fodder that raised its electricity-covered wand. Squidward rushed toward the goo—must be thinking that jumping inside the goo would keep the robot from pursuing—but three jellyfish blocked his way, and others surrounded him.

It was too late to help.

The jellyfish electrocuted him. It didn't look like Squidward had done anything to them, unless the robots had irritated them. She shuddered. Could she, SpongeBob, and Ami be the next victims?

Squidward shot into the air and landed on his behind, his nose swelling even though it was protected by bandages. SpongeBob, Usagi, and Ami hurried to Squidward. The Fodder laughed, a mechanical noise, and wheeled away. Must see no need to electrocute Squidward more.

Squidward groaned at SpongeBob. like seeing the sponge was the last thing he needed.

"Are you okay?" SpongeBob, Usagi, and Ami said in unison.

"No, I'm not okay. Even you humans are barnacleheads. Geez."

Squidward must be in a worse mood than usual thanks to the jellyfish and the robots.

"I mean, does it _look_ like I'm okay?"

SpongeBob leaned close to Squidward. The octopus put a hand on SpongeBob's forehead. "You're invading my personal space again."

"Is Squidward okay?" SpongeBob crawled around Squidward. He sniffed Squidward's forehead.

Squidward's eyes filled with red.

Usagi took SpongeBob's hand and pulled him off, glancing from the sponge, to Squidward, and back. "Okay, SpongeBob, that's not necessary."

Ami closed her mouth.

"You've been stung all over," SpongeBob said.

"You couldn't tell that from where you were?" Squidward shrilled.

"I know the solution." He pulled out the same book as earlier from his pocket. "According to this jellyfisher field manual, severe jellyfish stings can be healed by applying a thick layer of King Jellyfish Jelly to the affected areas." He dropped the manual and twitched. "K-K-K-K-King J-J-J-J-J-Jellyfish." Twitching, he looked toward a mountain in the distance.

"Do you need to lie down for a while, SpongeBob?" Ami said.

Squidward leaned onto his right foot, crossing his arms. "Then have fun dying a horrible death on Spork Mountain under King Jellyfish's vicious tentacles." He laughed and then doubled over. "Ow…" He lay on the ground, curling up into a ball. "I'll stay here, balled up in excruciating pain."

SpongeBob jammed his hands on his hips, his voice deepening into that of a superhero. "You do that. We'll definitely get King Jellyfish Jelly for you to rub all over yourself."

"I could try healing you first." Usagi raised her Moon Kaleidoscope.

Squidward's pupils contracted. "What is that thing?"

Her weapon did look strange, with its heart-shaped hilt and rod that resembled a flute. "It won't hurt. I promise." She prayed. Because if it was too powerful, then she'd end up hurting Squidward more. She pointed her Moon Kaleidoscope to Squidward. "Please don't move."

"Oh, how much I want to move. I have the sudden urge to use the restroom."

"This is so cool, Squidward." SpongeBob looked like a kid who'd met a god. "You get to have Usagi's powers used on you."

Squidward pointed his thumb at the sponge. "Can't you do this to him instead? He needs to be healed much more than I do."

Usagi barely heard Squidward and SpongeBob, concentrating on weakening her attack so that she didn't blast Squidward into oblivion. She launched a small beam, a weaker version of Moon Gorgeous Meditation. The beam smacked Squidward's forehead, upending his head so that it faced the sky. His eyes blanked, and a heart appeared on his forehead. His head snapped back down, eyes rolling.

Usagi cringed. "I'm sorry, Squidward. That's didn't go like I planned." None of his stings had disappeared.

"Please leave," Squidward said softly. Anger ran like an undercurrent in his voice.

Usagi left. Never again.

She, SpongeBob, and Ami ran into the Fields. A creature that looked like it was made of a bubble, complete with a bubble top hat, stood ahead.

"Is that a person?" Ami said.

SpongeBob's eyes lit up. "Yeah, it's Bubble Buddy." He ran to the bubble. Usagi and Ami exchanged looks.

"Their definition of 'person' is bigger than ours," Ami said.

Usagi and Ami ran as fast as they could, keeping up with SpongeBob despite their deep sea dive suits.

After Usagi and Ami introduced themselves to the bubble, SpongeBob said, "What are you doing out here, Bubble Buddy?"

"If you're going to journey to the ninth dimension and defeat the monkey man, you're going to need some new bubble-blowing moves."

Ami furrowed her brow.

Usagi gasped. "Wow, there's a ninth dimension down here? I've always wanted to go there and defeat the monkey man too." Bikini Bottom became that much cooler. She'd heard about the ninth dimension in video games and T.V. shows.

"We're only here to stop these robots," Ami said.

Usagi slouched. She wanted to go to the ninth dimension. "If you ever need help with the ninth dimension, we'll help."

"Ah, right," Bubble Buddy said. "That's right. Erm, new bubble moves. Okay." He gestured toward himself. "Show me what moves you have, SpongeBob."

Usagi looked at SpongeBob expectantly. She'd seen SpongeBob swing his bubble wand to defeat robots, but no other attacks.

"This is pretty much it." He jumped into the air—double-jumped, like they did in video games (could Usagi also defy physics and double-jump? Had to try sometime). SpongeBob waved his bubble wand over his feet, blowing bubble feet that surrounded his normal feet. He slammed on the ground, the bubble feet popping and sending a small shockwave through the immediate area. Usagi, Ami, and Bubble Buddy stumbled.

"Great," Bubble Buddy said. That attack was more powerful than a bubble should be.

"Does this give you any ideas?" Usagi said to Ami.

"You mean, any way I can combine my attacks with SpongeBob's?" Ami stroked her chin. "Not yet. As we go farther along and watch his attacks more, I might think of something."

Bubble Buddy turned toward Ami. "You use bubbles, too?"

"Yes, I do."

"Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about bubbles. If you haven't noticed, I'm a bubble myself, so I know bubbles from back to front, from what they're made of to what they eat as part of a healthy diet."

Ami's expression blanked. "O-okay."

What _did_ bubbles eat? Usagi kept the question to herself. They needed to get going as soon as they could.

"Anyhow, here's another bubble move for you, SpongeBob. I'll think of some things for Ami here later, possibly. Maybe. If I can. Now, SpongeBob, if you wave your bubble wand across your head and create a helmet with propellers on its bottom, you can fly straight up into the air and bash things, like floating tikis and flying robots. Try it."

"Like this?" SpongeBob did what Bubble Buddy had asked, waving his bubble wand across his head and blowing a bubble helmet with propellers, shooting him into the air. The bubble popped, and he landed. "Ah, I see. Like that."

"That's right." To Ami, Bubble Buddy said, "Now, what bubble attacks do you have?"

"I don't have a bubble wand, like SpongeBob," Ami said, "but I use mainly my hands to attack. Here's one of my attacks." She faced the goo lake to their right. "Mercury Aqua Mist!" Water appeared in each of her hands and then spiraled to the lake, becoming a mist that shrouded the lake. The mist spread, covering more of the Fields. Ami's eyes widened. "Being underwater must be making my attacks more powerful."

Usagi grinned. "That's good news for us."

"What do you think?" Ami said to Bubble Buddy.

"Not bad. I'm not sure I can teach you anything to modify that move. What else?"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" A spray of water jetted out from her hand, shooting in the goo. The spray of water broadened so that it was as wide as a train.

Ami looked at each of her hands. "This is great. Not only aren't my attacks backfiring on me thanks to this suit, but they've also become stronger since we're underwater." She looked to the sky. "If Sailor Neptune were here…"

"Who?" SpongeBob said.

"She's like Ami and I," Usagi said, "and she has special powers, too. But she's above ground, protecting Earth from our enemies while we're down here."

"I don't think I can teach you anything else to modify that move, either," Bubble Buddy said. "Now that you've shown me what you can do, I can start thinking of some things. Just give me a little while, and I'll see if I can come up with anything."

Ami bowed. "Thank you, Bubble Buddy."

Usagi also bowed. "Yes, thank you."

"No problem." Bubble Buddy took off his hat and bowed. "It was nice meeting you all. Good luck saving the world from the robots of the ninth dimension."

As Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob ran forward, Usagi said, "What if the robots are from the ninth dimension?"

"That's true," SpongeBob said. "We have to figure out how to get there."

"There'd be a portal in the sky." Usagi whipped her head around. "Where? Where?"

SpongeBob whipped his head around. "Where? Where?"

"Uh, I think it's easier if we focus on the dimension we're in," Ami said.

"Ami, let's practice combining our attacks on these robots," SpongeBob said. "I don't have anything long-range so far, like your attacks, but we can figure something out."

"Maybe. I wonder, though, if yours and my attacks will work against the robots, especially the small ones that use electricity. Our attacks might only conduct electricity and strengthen their attacks, especially since my own attacks are amplified underwater."

SpongeBob pointed to a Fodder wheeling in circles several feet ahead of them. "We can practice on that robot."

"I'll try it first." Ami aimed the palm of her hand toward the Fodder. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" A jet of water sprayed out of her hand, pelting the Fodder and sending it crashing into rocks in the distance.

Ami lowered her hands. "It's easier than I thought to defeat those robots."

"Maybe a bigger robot, then," SpongeBob said.

As the three continued into the Fields, defeating robots and slapping away irritated jellyfish that wanted to shock anything to release stress, Usagi thought of her own attacks. She clenched and unclenched her hands. Ami and SpongeBob were taking care of all the robots, the Fodders being the only robots they encountered. Like a video game, the robots might become bigger and tougher to defeat the farther inside the Fields they ventured.

Thankfully, her own attacks emerged from the Moon Kaleidoscope instead of her hands. She did not want to end up like Rei. She visualized Rei's ashen face, chuckled. Rei had looked like a cartoon character.

She cleared her throat. She was not a sadist. And it wasn't right for her to laugh at other people's misfortunes. Especially her friends'.

Her cheeks puffed up. Unsuccessfully holding in her laughter. Ami and SpongeBob didn't notice.

Jellyfish Fields was an easygoing place. The robots were quickly defeated, Usagi throwing her tiara like a boomerang, something that she hadn't done since she first became Sailor Moon; Ami casting Shine Aqua Illusion; and SpongeBob spinning his bubble wand to destroy the Fodders. Usagi could've used background music to go with the tranquility.

SpongeBob's breath hitched. "It's a box." He ran to it, Usagi and Ami following. A plain, square box sat near the goo, a sign standing beside it. SpongeBob squinted to read the print. "The sign says that this is a Teleport Box. If we open the two in this area, we can jump inside and teleport from one box to the other."

"Convenient, but strange," Usagi said. Like many other things in Bikini Bottom.

SpongeBob opened the Teleport Box and peered inside, alongside Usagi and Ami.

"Can all three of us even fit in there?" Ami said.

"Of course we can," SpongeBob said. "Why wouldn't we?"

"I keep forgetting that Bikini Bottom is different than above ground." Ami was putting it mildly.

"Boxes are so much fun." SpongeBob jiggled with energy. "You can get in them and turn them into racecars and drive them and turn them into pirate ships, with the power of imagination." He spread his hands, spreading a rainbow between them. In addition to SpongeBob's other quirks, he could also create rainbows. "I wonder if we could transport to the ninth dimension if we willed it."

Usagi's eyes grew. "That's true. We have got to try it."

"We should focus on this dimension first," Ami said.

They reached a broken bridge. The gap was too wide for them to jump, but Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury could fly, carrying SpongeBob with them.

Before they could say anything, SpongeBob stepped in front of the closed clam near the bridge.

"Clams like Shiny Objects." SpongeBob tapped the top of the clam and then put his ear to it. "Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Ami raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh…"

"It wants 125 Shiny Objects," SpongeBob said.

"Shiny Objects?" Usagi said. "Are they the things we've seen on the ground that are, uh, shiny?" She winced at how she sounded.

"You mean, the objects that are shaped like flowers?" Ami said.

"You got it," SpongeBob said.

Usagi and Ami exchanged looks.

"Ami and I can fly right over this gap," Usagi said.

SpongeBob sucked air in. "Really? You can fly?" He bounced up and down. "I've alwayswantedtoflypleaseteachmehowtoflyIwanna—"

"Unfortunately, that can't happen," Ami said. SpongeBob's face fell like an anvil had smashed it.

"But that doesn't mean it will never happen," Usagi said quickly. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday."

"In the meantime, we can carry you across the gap," Ami said," and you can pretend that you're flying."

"That's right," Usagi said. SpongeBob looked light enough to carry without straining anything. She and Ami hooked an arm under each of SpongeBob's arms.

"We could fly to Spork Mountain." How hadn't Usagi thought of it before?

"We should clear Jellyfish Fields of the robots," SpongeBob said. "Who knows what'll happen to the poor jellyfish if we don't? Besides, the people of Bikini Bottom need a safe haven from the robots."

"The robots could always come back," Ami said. "But we should do our best to clear the Fields of the robots, like SpongeBob said. Let's go through all of Jellyfish Fields on our way to Spork Mountain."

"Okay. Squidward'll be all right waiting for us, too. We might even find the K-K-K-King J-J-Jellyfish outside of Spork Mountain."

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury flew over the gap. SpongeBob's eyes sparkled like glitter. He looked around, his smile broadening.

Even though they had already crossed the bridge, Usagi lifted SpongeBob and Ami higher. Ami flashed Usagi a confused look, then glanced at SpongeBob and helped Usagi continue to ascend.

They hovered above the entirety of Jellyfish Fields.

No birds, no jellyfish. Just the Guardians, SpongeBob, and the flower-shaped clouds in the sky.

Usagi looked in as much wonder as SpongeBob. Even though SpongeBob had lived in Bikini Bottom all his life, he was awed.

Bikini Bottom looked shrunken. SpongeBob's pineapple looked more edible than before, amusingly enough. The robots and the people looked like specks. Flashes of light emanated from where robots were electrocuting fish. If only Usagi could reach them.

It was silent like it was in space, likely because there were no birds.

However, a clam flew in front of the three, chirping. Clams were Bikini Bottom's version of birds. Did they fly to warmer places during the winter, too?

The trees looked like flowers. But there were no squirrels, rabbits, birds—clams, in Bikini Bottom's case—any sign of animals within them. The trees didn't have branches, either.

Bikini Bottom was unlike Japan but like it at the same time. Ami's mouth parted. She was in as much wonder and awe as Usagi was. Ami had a scientific, analytical mind, but she wasn't analyzing Bikini Bottom now but was enjoying the scenery. Usagi smiled. Everyone could use a break from thinking sometimes.

Ami's eyes cleared. "We'd better get back down."

Usagi and Ami descended, touching their feet to the grass. They let SpongeBob down.

"That was amazing," SpongeBob said. "It's always been my dream to fly. I sure hope I can like you both do."

Usagi hoped so, too. Even though sponges didn't have wings and it was scientifically impossible for them to fly, in Bikini Bottom's world, anything was possible. Heck, above ground, anything was possible, something that had been proven over and over since Usagi discovered that she was Sailor Moon and not an ordinary teenager. Maybe things weren't as impossible as she, and others, thought. Maybe the only limits were what she told herself were her limits—her own thoughts working against her.

"How _do_ you fly, anyhow? Can you teach me?"

Usagi and Ami exchanged looks.

"You, you keep doing that whenever I say something."

SpongeBob reminded Usagi of a kid.

The way he dreamed, how he spoke—innocent, naïve—but kind-hearted, wanting the best for others. SpongeBob would hold on to his purity no matter what happened. And, no matter what happened to her in Bikini Bottom, Usagi would protect his purity so that he never let go of his dreams.

SpongeBob's eyes grew bigger, looking at Usagi and Ami.

Usagi resisted the urge to crouch to SpongeBob's level. She didn't want to treat SpongeBob like a kid.

"Listen, SpongeBob," Ami said, "Usagi and I, and our other friends who came from Japan, we all have powers that were given to us by someone else. You're not the same as us." Whether that was fortunate or not, who could say? "But I'm sure you'll achieve your dream of flying one day. Just keep trying."

"That's right," Usagi said. "Don't let anyone discourage you. You can do it, SpongeBob, like you're saving Bikini Bottom right now from the robots."

SpongeBob broke into a grin. "I sure can," he said, his voice deepening into that of a superhero's. "But we must save Squidward. His nose depends on us."

Better not think of what that meant.

But couldn't stop speculating. Maybe it meant for Squidward's nose to not grow. It was the biggest nose Usagi had ever seen. If she had a nose that big, she wouldn't want it to grow.

The three continued their run inside Jellyfish Fields. A pond was to their right. Did any fish swim inside the goo inside that pond? Usagi peered inside. Ami and SpongeBob stepped to either side of her. No smaller fish were inside.

"Do any wildlife swim in these ponds?" Ami asked SpongeBob.

SpongeBob shook his head. "If they do, I can't see them. And I have really big eyes."

That was true. Eye size probably didn't have anything to do with how well one could see. Maybe in this world, eye size mattered, though.

They reached a block of ice sitting on what looked like a lettuce patch.

" 'Freezy Fruit'," Ami read from the sign beside the ice block.

"Sounds like it freezes things," Usagi said.

"Patrick's better at lifting things than I am," SpongeBob said.

"If we threw this Fruit, we could freeze the goo and get to that Golden Spatula over there." Usagi pointed to a Golden Spatula on an island in the middle of the goo. They could fly, but Usagi wanted to try something new. And flying used energy, which she and Ami would need plenty of.

"Let's try it, then." SpongeBob placed his hands on either side of the Freezy Fruit. Ice spread from his hands to the rest of his body, freezing him, his hands stuck to the Fruit. His face froze in an expression that showed the realization of what was happening to him—his face was in the middle of a fall, half-grin, half- horror-struck frown.

Together, Usagi and Ami grabbed SpongeBob and tried to pry him off the Fruit, digging their heels into the ground. Their hands slipped off. Usagi crashed into the goo while Ami found a grip on the slippery SpongeBob. Usagi smacked her face on Ami's foot, dragging Ami into the goo. Ami kept her grip on SpongeBob and took the Fruit and SpongeBob into the goo.

The goo had the consistency of sludge.

Usagi couldn't worry about that now. Had to survive.

The goo melted the ice off SpongeBob. He flailed, kicking Usagi and Ami in their faces, their torsos, everywhere.

"I, I, I can't swim!" SpongeBob sputtered as he came up for air every few seconds.

"S-s-stay s-s-still." Ami struggled to stay above water while SpongeBob slammed his hands on both Usagi's and Ami's heads and pushed them down repeatedly.

The Freezy Fruit dissolved. Ice spread throughout the lake, encasing SpongeBob and Usagi underwater. Ami swam free, the ice chasing her. Usagi watched through her frozen state—unable to move, but able to breathe thanks to her deep sea dive suit. In her own suit, Ami swam quickly, the ice pursuing like the Guardians' enemies. She swam toward the island with the Golden Spatula. The ice grew an arm and hand like a person, gripping Ami's leg. Ami's eyes bulged, and she shook her leg rapidly.

"Ami!" Usagi said, even though calling Ami's name wouldn't do anything.

Ami punched the hand, and the hand reared back. Ami kept swimming, reached the island and jumped onto it, stumbling. Ami had always been elegant, but her elegance went out the window as soon as she was being chased by anthropomorphic ice. Usagi didn't blame her.

Ami collapsed on the island, panting, then looked at Usagi and SpongeBob, eyes bulging once more. She stashed the Golden Spatula in the deep sea dive suit's pockets, looking around for anything to help.

The ice melted. Usagi began to sink, found her legs and began to swim. SpongeBob flailed all over again, grabbing Usagi's head before she could reach the surface and pushing her down under again, yelling that he couldn't swim.

"I know you can't swim, SpongeBob," Usagi said. "Please let go and I will help."

SpongeBob's screams drowned out her words. Ami swam through the goo like a rocket and reached SpongeBob, gripping his pants from behind and pulling him out of the water, near the Freezy Fruit. Usagi climbed out behind them.

"That's the end of that idea," Usagi said.

"I don't think we should ever touch one of those again," Ami said.

"I can't feel my anything," SpongeBob said.

The three continued, Ami sluggishly from swimming against an evil ice block masquerading as a piece of inedible fruit. They climbed onto several grassy surfaces that were elevated like steps, gaps between each of the surfaces, only to see a pufferfish rolling down platforms toward them.

Usagi snapped her head in both directions—had to go back down the way they came. Ami dove to the right, but SpongeBob kept running ahead, toward not only the pufferfish but also toward a cannon. Who the hell put a cannon underwater?

"I can make it." SpongeBob jumped toward another platform, reaching out to grab the surface. Usagi jumped and flew, reaching for SpongeBob. Before she could grab his shoulder and whisk him to safety, SpongeBob swung his bubble wand, giving himself an extra boost, and reached the other platform, landing on his feet, his shoes squeaking on the grassy surface. Usagi landed beside him.

Usagi looked at Ami, who panted. Right after she had outswum a lake freezing over.

Ami gathered her strength and flew, landing beside Usagi and SpongeBob.

"Dodging this cannon and its cannonballs shouldn't be too hard since we can fly." One of the times Usagi was thankful that she was a Guardian.

SpongeBob's eyes sparkled. "Yay, I get to fly again."

The cannon turned, like someone had pushed it even though no one was near it.

The cannon was moving by itself. Unless it was being remote controlled.

She shouldn't be surprised at this point. But she was.

The cannon blew a cannonball—a pufferfish. Usagi grabbed SpongeBob's shoulder and took to the air, Ami beside her. The pufferfish took to the air, too—no wings, no glowing around it like something supernatural, no nothing—and flew toward them, following their every movement. Usagi's face fell.

Ami aimed her hands toward the pufferfish. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Water jetted from her hands but, instead of piercing the pufferfish, the water clashed against it, slowing the pufferfish but not destroying it. Ami's face fell.

Usagi scrambled, grabbing her tiara out of the deep sea dive suit's pocket, and aimed it at the pufferfish. She threw it, hoping that her tiara's sharpness would pierce the pufferfish and deflate it. Her tiara reshaped itself into a Frisbee, but it shattered against the pufferfish. Usagi's and Ami's faces fell farther. What was that pufferfish made of? Was the Dead Moon Circus involved, or were Bikini Bottom's rules much different than above ground's rules? Her tiara should've pierced even metal.

That was the end of her tiara. Maybe she could de-transform to her civilian form and then return to her Sailor Guardian form. Then her tiara might come back. But it wasn't like her tiara was necessary for anything, other than her tried and failed Moon Tiara Boomerang attack. If her Moon Kaleidoscope had been destroyed, Usagi would be in much more trouble.

"Let me try," SpongeBob said, the pufferfish approaching. He had no long-range attacks. What could he pull off in such a short amount of time?

SpongeBob wriggled in Usagi's grip, aiming his head to the pufferfish. With a wave of his bubble wand and a blow from his lips, he produced a bubble helmet. The helmet jetted water, propelling him and Usagi toward the pufferfish.

Usagi hollered, "SpongeBob, no!"

Ami shouted, too, but Usagi couldn't hear Ami over her own screams. SpongeBob's head protruded farther than any part of Usagi's body, so SpongeBob would take the brunt of the blow.

Usagi had to stop SpongeBob somehow. Things weren't moving in slow motion like they were supposed to when you were in a life-threatening situation, so Usagi didn't have time to think.

SpongeBob's head smashed into the pufferfish.

More accurately, the bubble helmet smashed into the pufferfish, the cannonball popping like a balloon and jetting around Jellyfish Fields, whistling all the while.

All thought left Usagi.

A metal pufferfish had popped like a balloon. Against a bubble helmet. Not against her tiara or a force of water that was strengthened underwater.

There were no words.

This was the type of world she had landed in.


	4. A Day at the Bizarre

**Chapter Four: A Day at the Bizarre**

SpongeBob, standing on the grass yards away from the cannon, shouted, "I did it," pumping his arms.

Floating above SpongeBob and Usagi, Ami couldn't believe it. This world was unlike anything she had ever encountered, even the alternate universes that her enemies sent her to. Bikini Bottom was vibrant. The fish behaved like humans—maybe that passage she had read about every living thing being connected was true—and the jellyfish reminded her of bees, the way they buzzed and secreted jelly. As far as she had read, jellyfish did neither. Maybe science was wrong about jellyfish.

Jellyfish Fields itself… Who knew there was a place underwater like a park above ground?

Bikini Bottom made no sense.

Years of research, wrong.

Debunked by five teenage girls, a child, and a university student.

Ami landed beside SpongeBob and Usagi. A headbutt had destroyed one of the cannonballs, a metal pufferfish, when both Usagi's and Ami's attacks couldn't.

Either some things were best left unexplained, which went against Ami's philosophy—everything happened and existed for a reason—or she would never know the answer because things down here didn't make sense, maybe would never make sense. Being okay with nonsense was hard but something she'd have to grow used to.

For now, getting through Jellyfish Fields and finding King Jellyfish was her priority.

She faced the cannon, which had been silent during Ami's contemplation. Whoever was controlling the cannon was being merciful after the hell from before, with the pufferfish flying after them like it had wings.

"What're we standing around for?" SpongeBob said. "Taking a break?"

"A small one." Usagi's face had reddened. Ami must look the same way, especially after swimming from the anthropomorphic ice. They'd have to take a break after they got out of harm's way.

Usagi hooked her arms under SpongeBob's arms and flew. The cannon fired, and Ami took to the air alongside Usagi. Usagi dashed forward, Ami beside her.

SpongeBob waved his bubble wand over his head and blew, creating the bubble helmet that was tougher than metal. "I can destroy it again."

"I'm worried you'll get a concussion if you keep doing that," Ami said.

"I don't feel physical pain."

Ami's eyes widened as Usagi faltered and then kept flying. "Uh, excuse me?" Ami said as Usagi said, "You don't what now?"

"I don't feel physical pain."

Ami had heard SpongeBob the first time. "Can you please explain?"

"Well, if I hit that cannonball," SpongeBob said as Usagi and Ami swerved out of the way of the cannonball, which changed direction to pursue, "one of the parts that doesn't have a spike on it, I'll absorb the blow. I found that out when a bully tried to punch me. And I punched myself when I was trying to impress Kevin the Jellyspotter and didn't feel anything."

"You _are_ a sponge," Ami said, "so I suppose that makes sense. Anyhow, we have to destroy that cannon. I'll take care of it. SpongeBob, even though you don't feel physical pain, I'm still worried that you'll get a concussion—if fish here are affected by the same ailments as humans."

SpongeBob raised his bubble wand. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Usagi waved her Moon Kaleidoscope. "Ami-chan, while you're taking care of the cannon, SpongeBob and I will take care of these cannonballs—or only SpongeBob."

"Okay." Hopefully, Ami could destroy the cannon. Her attacks might not work. Might need to weaken the cannon before breaking it, like those video game bosses Usagi and Minako talked about.

Usagi doubled back as Ami continued forward. A smashing sound echoed throughout the fields. Ami didn't look back; SpongeBob must have helmet-bashed and destroyed the pufferfish, but she couldn't be distracted.

She flew sideways. The cannon turned toward her and fired a pufferfish. Ami flitted to the side, and Usagi and SpongeBob appeared beside her, SpongeBob smashing the pufferfish.

"You can do it, Ami-chan," Usagi said.

"Right, keep going, Ami," SpongeBob said. "We'll keep you safe."

Ami aimed her hands at the cannon. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Water jetted into the cannon. The cannon coughed like a human. Ami kept launching water, but the cannon fired a pufferfish, splitting the jet of water. Ami gasped, darted to the side. The pufferfish followed. Inches from her, the pufferfish broke into pieces, revealing SpongeBob and Usagi. SpongeBob winked.

Ami kept firing, pulsing more energy. A crack appeared in the cannon's nozzle. Another pulse. One more crack speared through the cannon, chipped part of it. A light beamed from the microscopic hole and then a second. The cannon sputtered, rearing back— _moving_ like a human. The cannon coughed out a small pufferfish, this one a quarter of the size of the others it had been firing. The pufferfish clattered to the ground. Useless.

A beam of light appeared out the cannon's back, and Ami's water smashed through, piercing the cannon and causing it to explode, some of its pieces pelting Ami, Usagi, and SpongeBob.

Ami lowered her hands, panting. That inanimate object had taken quite a bit out of her.

She landed near the place the cannon had stood. Usagi landed beside her, putting SpongeBob down.

"Great job, everyone," SpongeBob said, voice bright. "We did it together. We must be…" He slid close to both Usagi and Ami. "...brothers and sisters." His voice became monotone, and he lifted his shirt, revealing a beating lung attached to himself, Usagi, and Ami. Usagi screamed. Ami stared. It didn't feel like she had an extra lung. The lung was attached to the deep sea dive suits and SpongeBob's chest.

Usagi slapped SpongeBob lightly. "Put that down, _put it down._ " She screamed again. Usagi wasn't used to seeing lungs in the open. Thanks to Ami's aspiration of becoming a doctor, she saw this sort of thing in medical books. Even so, the lung that SpongeBob, Usagi, and Ami…shared looked cartoonish. Didn't mean that it wasn't scary.

Once SpongeBob put his shirt back down, Usagi touched where the lung had been, her hand going through the area. Her breath hitched. Just like that, the lung had disappeared.

* * *

"How about we take a break?" Usagi plopped onto the ground, sweat cascading from her forehead. Ami sat beside her, and SpongeBob between the two.

Running through Jellyfish Fields was reminiscent of the video games Usagi and Minako played at the arcade. Ami giggled. Usagi was finding out that running all the time like video game characters wasn't easy, especially while climbing, jumping, and defeating enemies.

Spork Mountain towered in the distance. They had a ways to climb.

"SpongeBob, what's King Jellyfish like?" Ami said.

"He likes pie. Bubble pie, to be exact."

"Okay…" Usagi said.

"That's a potential weakness," Ami said. "We could trade him a bubble pie for the jelly."

"He doesn't like it when others steal his jelly."

"I wouldn't like it if others stole my jelly, either," Usagi murmured.

The implication of what she said didn't make it through SpongeBob's head, the sponge gaping at mist-shrouded, spiraling Spork Mountain, but Ami cast Usagi a wide-eyed look.

Usagi tucked her head. "I mean, if I were a jellyfish."

Which she wasn't. But Ami kept her thoughts to herself.

Around the Fields, the jellyfish flew lazily, filling the fields with buzzing. Since the three had beaten several robots and destroyed the cannon, the jellyfish had calmed.

"Anyhow, back to King Jellyfish," Ami said. "He doesn't seem like he'll tolerate it if we try to take his jelly."

Usagi pulled her knees to her chest. "Then we'll get electrocuted into crisps and look like Rei-chan did when she burned herself."

Was that what Usagi had been laughing to herself about? Visualizing the burnt Rei, it _was_ kind of funny but hadn't been funny at the time.

"We could distract him with the pie," SpongeBob said. "Everyone can smell it from miles away."

Ami raised both eyebrows. "You can smell bubble pie?"

"What does bubble pie smell like?" Usagi said.

"Sure can," SpongeBob said to Ami. To Usagi, he said, "Bubble pie smells like pie, of course."

"Of course." Usagi knocked herself on the head. "Silly me, I should've known."

"King Jellyfish is pretty aggressive, though," SpongeBob said. "If you just walk into his territory, where he lives, he'll get angry and zap you. A lot of little jellyfish live where King Jellyfish does, though."

"Then he's only trying to protect the rest of the jellyfish," Usagi said.

"I'm surprised he hasn't come out and tried to protect the jellyfish from the robots." Ami placed a hand on her chin. "King Jellyfish could also be getting attacked by the robots himself."

"Oh, no." SpongeBob's voice became heroically deep. "It's up to us to save him."

"How do you do that?" Usagi said.

Not how, but _why_ did SpongeBob do that? Ami would likely never figure out the why to many of Bikini Bottom's workings.

"I learned it from my favorite superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy." His voice was back to normal, with a twinge of admiration in it. "Mermaid Man had a deep voice like that when he said he was going to save someone. And then he always saved them." His eyes twinkled. "I want to be like him someday."

Ami's eyes softened. The sponge…despite living on his own, owning a pet that was more mature than he was, owning the responsibility of creating the robots—Plankton was trying to dumb himself down so he didn't appear suspicious, to no avail—he wanted to be like someone else.

"You're already a hero, SpongeBob," Ami said. "By trying to save everyone here, even though you could leave it to someone else, you're a hero."

"I'm sure Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy would be proud of you," Usagi said.

SpongeBob blinked. A smile spread on his face, and he blushed. "Aw, thanks, guys." He stroked his head, like he would if he had hair. "I guess I am kinda heroic. In fact, you two and the rest of you humans kinda remind me of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. You guys have superpowers. You can fly. The only thing you're missing is heat vision." He clasped his hands. "Unless I haven't seen that yet."

Usagi shook her head. "No, we just don't have heat vision."

SpongeBob jumped a foot off the ground, feet flapping like wings. "That doesn't matter. You guys can do pretty much everything else." He dropped to his knees, shuffled to them, planted wet kisses on their boots. "You're my heroes, too."

Usagi chuckled. "You don't have to kiss our feet, SpongeBob. We're just like you."

SpongeBob shot onto his feet. "I beg to differ."

"No, really. We're ordinary teenagers."

"Ordinary teenagers are like Mr. Krabs' daughter, Pearl. Not with powers. Unless all humans gain superpowers when they become teenagers."

"No, I'm afraid not," Ami said. If all humans had superpowers, all the chaos…

"Mmm, that's too bad. At least we're heroes to each other." SpongeBob stretched. "I'm feeling well enough to run again. How about you two?"

"I am, too." Usagi stood. "We should keep going."

"Same." Ami picked herself up.

The three ran only a few feet before they reached Gary the snail near a cliff. Fearful of seeming rude, Ami kept her mouth closed, while Usagi blurted, "How did you get all the way over here faster than us?"

Gary moved slowly. It was impossible for him to get here so quickly, with all the climbing around Jellyfish Fields. Unless the deep sea dive suits made them move a lot slower than a snail.

"Gary can move fast when he needs to." SpongeBob crouched, patting Gary's shell. "Isn't that right, Gare Bear?" He puckered his lips and made kissing noises.

"Meow." Gary faced the cliff. A bungee hook descended, becoming suspended in the waterfall area, where the cliff led. Usagi and Ami looked up. Above hovered a helicopter from which the bungee hook came.

Still looking up, Ami said, "Um, who's inside the helicopter, and why are they putting a bungee cord there?" She squinted. Inside sat a regular fish. Decided not to ask many questions about it because the answer wouldn't make sense. At least someone was controlling the helicopter, unlike the cannon.

"Meow."

"There's a Golden Spatula down there?" SpongeBob peered over the cliff's edge. Usagi and Ami joined him. A Golden Spatula sparkled on a rock, illuminating the area.

"We have to get it." SpongeBob untucked his underwear from his pants, lifting it like he was giving himself a wedgie.

"SpongeBob, we can fly and get it," Ami said. No one wanted to see SpongeBob's business. Not even the snail.

"It's okay. I want to go bungee jumping. I haven't done it in so long."

Did he usually bungee with his underwear instead of a hook like normal people? No, Ami shouldn't think that way. Down here, normal meant nothing.

SpongeBob jumped toward the hook, holding his underwear above his head. Ami readied herself and, beside her, Usagi placed one foot forward. If SpongeBob missed the hook… And he couldn't swim, making a bad situation worse.

SpongeBob's aim was true, and he hooked his underwear onto the bungee hook. He bungeed down, screaming with glee—sounded like he was laughing because he was being tickled.

Did his underwear tickle?

Ami pushed away the thought. This world was getting to her, and it was too early to tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Usagi and Ami watched SpongeBob bungee, his arms outstretched. Ami glimpsed SpongeBob's behind and looked away. She peeked between her fingers. SpongeBob grabbed the Golden Spatula. He returned up, unhooking his underwear and letting it snap into place. He landed between Usagi and Ami, lifting the Golden Spatula like a trophy, blowing kisses to an invisible audience and laughing his signature laugh.

"Nice job, SpongeBob," Usagi said.

"Yes, that was great." Ami said. The Golden Spatulas had to be used for something other than getting into certain areas of Bikini Bottom. Maybe they could trade Golden Spatulas for King Jellyfish's jelly.

"We have no time to lose." SpongeBob pocketed the Spatula. "Squidward's nose is in danger of being burned off from the sting wounds."

"Really?" Usagi said, she and Ami gawking.

"No, I don't think so. But that doesn't make the situation any less dire. Squidward's in pain, and we have to help him."

Ami looked down at Gary, the snail blinking, one eye at a time. "What about Gary?"

"He'll be fine." SpongeBob pet the snail. "He's great at taking care of himself. He's made it this far alone, after all."

"That's true. He got here faster than us." Even though the snail did everything slowly, including blink.

The three kept going, stopped by a four-yard gap that was split by a platform in the middle, one that they couldn't jump to.

"No problem," SpongeBob said. "We can fly across."

"Flying takes up a lot of energy," Ami said. "We'd rather conserve that energy for emergencies."

"I consider saving Squidward and his nose an emergency."

"I do too. But is there a better way we can get across?"

Usagi turned to her right. She pointed at a button on the rock wall—a button that looked as though someone had manually installed it. Ami had never seen anyone mess with nature like that.

"What does _this_ button do?" Usagi's hand twitched.

"I don't think pushing it is a good idea," Ami said.

"I press buttons all the time, and nothing bad ever happens." With his bubble wand, SpongeBob spun, pressing the button. From the sand below, six platforms rose, each one taller than the last.

Surfaces grew from the ground. Made sense.

Ami, Usagi, and SpongeBob jumped on each platform and then continued onto the other side, where the ground connected. Several feet ahead, a plump male fish was being bashed by a Ham-mer robot, the robot wielding a stick with a head of ham on the top of it. The robot stood at twice the size of a Fodder robot and had a single wheel to move. SpongeBob cringed each time the Ham-mer crushed the civilian to the size of a toddler, the civilian popping up to his normal size, only to be smashed again.

The Ham-mer noticed the three, the civilian scrambling away. The robot bashed itself with its ham, the ham spinning in place and then the robot's head spinning alongside the ham.

"I'll save you, citizen." SpongeBob hurried toward the robot and the civilian. One moment, the Ham-mer was several feet away. The next, it was inches from SpongeBob, the civilian gasping. The Ham-mer crushed SpongeBob into the ground, shaping the sponge into that of a ham. The robot lifted its ham, about to smash the sponge into oblivion.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Rainbow Moon Heartache!"

Water burst from Ami's hands as a rainbow light filled the area. A cracking and then breaking noise echoed, and when the light faded, the robot was gone, leaving a charred mark on the ground.

Usagi and Ami rushed to SpongeBob, both helping him to his feet. The civilian clapped at the wall, eyes white from the flash—must've blinded him.

"I'm sorry." SpongeBob twiddled his thumbs. "I wanted to make up for causing this whole mess."

"First of all, you didn't cause this, SpongeBob," Usagi said. "Second of all, you don't have to feel like you have to make things up by yourself. Remember, Ami-chan and I are with you, and we'll help and support you no matter what."

"Yeah." SpongeBob shifted his feet, his shoes squeaking. "Yeah. I forget that sometimes." He smiled lopsidedly. "Besides, all of us _are_ heroes." He deepened his voice into his superhero voice. "Let's press forward, gang. We have many an evildoer to vanquish."

Thinking of himself as a hero wasn't a bad thing, as long as SpongeBob didn't think he was invincible, which didn't seem to be the case. He had only charged in because he felt he had something to prove, and he had run into trouble when he did try to face the robot alone.

The three reached a button on the ground. SpongeBob stepped on it, pressing the button. Ahead, a cage lifted, revealing bowling pins. A field and bowling pins didn't go together in Ami's mind, but apparently they went together in someone else's.

"If I didn't have you all here," SpongeBob said, "I wouldn't be able to knock over those pins from where I am." His eyes brightened. "This gives me an idea." He waved his wand, wheeling his right arm. With his bubble wand and without blowing, he produced an oval-shaped ball in his right hand and then threw it. The ball dissolved two feet away from SpongeBob, making a noise like air being sucked from a deflating balloon.

"Hm, not yet. I probably need to practice it a bit more."

Usagi cocked her head. "You were trying to go bowling?"

"Yeah, but it could be used as a long-range attack against the robots. Ami knows a lot of long-range attacks already, so we should be okay. I'll practice against the robots."

Usagi grinned. "Good idea. Ami and I can cover you if anything goes wrong with your attack."

"Which will inevitably happen." For the umpteenth time that day, he deepened his voice. "But I will master this skill and conquer the world." He cleared his throat, the deepness in his voice going away. "I mean, the robots. Defeat them, that is."

The three jumped onto a platform that teetered on a single, pointed, triangle-shaped rock. When they stood on one edge of the platform, it tilted downward, threatening to roll them off. Usagi yelped, grabbed SpongeBob's and Ami's hands and bustled across the platform, SpongeBob slipped out of her grip, the sponge tripping and falling facedown. The platform kept tilting downward, SpongeBob sliding toward a long fall. Apologizing, Usagi rushed to SpongeBob, took his hand and, together, they hurried to the other side, Ami planting her feet to stay balanced on the platform.

The three jumped from the tilting grass, landing on a flat, stable surface.

"I don't think I'll look at Super Mario the same way ever again," Usagi said. "I don't even think I'll be able to play it again."

Oh, how Ami doubted that.

Another box stood beside them.

"This is the one connected to the other box at the beginning." SpongeBob opened the box, and all three peered inside. It was empty. Ami was expecting at least some sparkles inside.

"If we jump inside," Usagi said, "we'll come out near Squidward."

"That's right," SpongeBob said. "Wanna try?"

Usagi and Ami exchanged looks.

"It might be helpful later." It was time Ami grew a bit braver, took a few risks. "I'll give it a try." Should she step inside one leg at a time, or jump inside? She didn't want part of her leg to teleport while the rest of her body stayed, which could happen in this universe.

She jumped inside. The box closed by itself, and darkness surrounded her. The box shuffled. She felt as though she was being suspended in air. The sensation ended, and she found herself sitting in darkness. The box opened, and she peered out into the light. She was in the beginning of Jellyfish Fields, Squidward, his back to her, massaging his nose.

Deciding not to bother Squidward, she sat inside, closing the box. She was transported back to where SpongeBob and Usagi stood.

"That was quick," Usagi said. "Works well, that box."

Ami nodded. Who would've ever thought that a box could transport things? Kids played with boxes using their imaginations, but to transport people… Boxes were used to transport things on trucks, but not with magic.

The three continued.

"I've never run this much in my life," Usagi said. "Not even in gym class."

As soon as Usagi finished her sentence, SpongeBob stopped, pointing at a blue huffing, puffing machine ahead. On it read "Duplicatotron 1000." A funnel protruded from its square body and pointed toward the sky. Smoke puffed out of it.

Usagi's brow creased. "What is that? It doesn't look like the robots we've seen."

Out of its funnel popped a black ball. The ball flew in an arc, turning over and over. It landed on the ground, expanding into the shape of a Ham-mer and then lightening, the Ham-mer wheeling in circles. Another black ball emerged, creating a Fodder. A third black ball created a second Fodder.

"Looks like it duplicates robots," Ami said. "But this little machine couldn't have created all the robots in Bikini Bottom."

Behind the D1000 was a gate. Ami had a feeling that they should take care of the D1000 and the robots before they worried about the gate.

"Cutting it off at the source is best," Ami said. "One of us should go after the machine."

"Like we did with the cannon," Usagi said.

Ami hoped that that didn't mean the D1000 was made of whatever type of material the cannon was. Then SpongeBob, who couldn't fly, would have to run to the D1000 instead of one of the Guardians.

Ami floated. "I'll try to attack the machine. If it doesn't work, I'll need you to step in, SpongeBob."

"Got it." SpongeBob raised his bubble wand.

The three charged toward the robots, and the robots charged toward them. Ami flew above the robots. A Fodder threw its electricity-surrounded wand toward her. She flitted to the right, the wand disappearing in the sky. Now it didn't have any weapons.

Ami aimed her hands at the D1000, which stayed still and didn't seem like it could move. Although in this world, anything went.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

Jets of water shot from her hands, enveloping the D1000. Electricity surrounded it, and its nameplate was knocked onto the ground. Smoke puffed from its funnel. It creaked.

Usagi and SpongeBob, who were both in the middle of fighting the robots, SpongeBob clashing his bubble wand against a Ham-mer's ham, Usagi smacking a Fodder against a wall with her Moon Kaleidoscope, whipped their heads toward the D1000.

"We should probably move very fast," Usagi said.

The D1000 exploded.

Smoke enveloped Ami's vision, burned her eyes. Heat surrounded her, like she had been thrown into a furnace. She was thrown—didn't know where she was going, but she was shooting through the air like a bullet. Usagi and SpongeBob hollered, SpongeBob's holler briefly stopped by his saying, "Mermaid Man?" and then continuing.

Ami fell onto the grass. She parted her eyes.

"Oof!" SpongeBob fell next to her. Usagi—her helmet—landed on top of SpongeBob, knocking the wind out of the sponge. As soon as Usagi fell, she rolled off SpongeBob, apologizing rapidly, SpongeBob forgiving her rapidly, although the sponge had been shaped into a circle. He popped back into his square shape.

But SpongeBob's…qualities didn't catch her attention.

The three D1000s standing yards away did.

So did the robots surrounding them.

And a round old human falling off a cliff, next to SpongeBob.

This was turning out to be quite a day.


	5. Breakout

**Chapter Five: Breakout**

SpongeBob peeled himself off the ground, unharmed by Usagi's crushing him. He and his friends stood on an oval-shaped island. Yards away from them, other islands were raised above the goo, D1000s on each of those islands—three in total. Their environment was large enough to fight freely.

The goal was simple: destroy all the D1000s in Bikini Bottom, and all the robots would be destroyed. With Usagi and the other Guardians helping, it would be no problem.

The best part was, Usagi and her friends could fly. And they had superpowers, like his favorite superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

Speaking of his favorite superheroes, Mermaid Man was right next to him, with his gray hair that shone in the sun; his round, but tough, body; his red and black uniform; and his utility belt, which had the ability to shrink and incinerate others.

SpongeBob's heart fluttered. He was _right next_ to his hero. He needed to get Mermaid Man's autograph.

Electricity crackled next to him. That's right. The robots.

SpongeBob jumped onto his feet, his shoes squeaking on the ground as he pivoted upon landing. He raised his bubble wand.

"What? Who?" Mermaid Man's legs flailed in the air.

Ami's expression blanked. "He doesn't seem like he knows where he is."

Usagi pointed at the mountain behind them. "Who could blame him after falling off a cliff? How'd he even survive?" She slapped her helmet. "Duh. I keep forgetting that this place has different rules than our world."

Usagi and her friends were caught up in "this world's rules." To SpongeBob, the world included Bikini Bottom and above ground, where the humans were from, mainly because that's where Sandy was from. He'd never thought much about what was above ground before Sandy arrived in Bikini Bottom and started talking about Texas. If SpongeBob ventured above ground, would he have as much trouble adapting as the humans had adapting to Bikini Bottom?

The robots laughed, a mechanical noise echoing throughout the clearing; their laughter was coming toward Mermaid Man. A Ham-mer clamped its pincers around Mermaid Man's arm and made the sponge's hero slap his own cheeks, back and forth, back and forth. When Mermaid Man had retired, he stopped crimefighting, but hadn't lost his powers. He wasn't fighting back against the robots, maybe because his superpowers would be devastating, and Mermaid Man was too merciful to crush the robots to smithereens. But the robots had terrorized Bikini Bottom. Must be the reason why Mermaid Man had left Shady Shoals Rest Home and come to Jellyfish Fields—Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy must have split up to cover more ground—to defeat the robots.

SpongeBob swung his bubble wand into the Ham-mer's torso, sending the robot into the distance and smashing it into pieces.

He rushed to Mermaid Man's side. "Mermaid Man, are you okay?"

"What?" Mermaid Man's eyes darted around the clearing until settling on SpongeBob. "Oh. It's you, that SpongeKid."

SpongeBob smacked his cheeks because this was real, not fantasy. "You remember me." Electricity spread throughout his body, making him shoot into the air, maybe from his giddiness. Fireworks exploded beside him. He landed, scurried back to his hero, glitter filling his eyes, remnants of a robot near where SpongeBob had stood before he had been electrocuted, Usagi near SpongeBob and Mermaid Man, Moon Kaleidoscope raised.

"Right, you're the kid that had something to do with the secret of Wumbo."

"Wumbo?" Usagi said. Rainbow light filled the area, blinding SpongeBob. When the light faded, all the robots, except the D1000s, were gone, scorch marks left in their places. The D1000s created ten more robots. Ami was rushing toward one D1000, fighting her way through by launching water from her hands.

"I didn't know there was a secret to Wumbo." SpongeBob smacked another Fodder into the goo, the Fodder breaking upon impact.

"Of course. The secret is to never put tapioca inside of it."

Usagi furrowed her brow. "Eh?"

"Oh, thank you, Mermaid Man. I'll keep that in mind." SpongeBob looked around. More robots wheeled toward them. "Anyhow, we could use your awesome powers to defeat these robots."

"Let's see here." Mermaid Man summoned a water ball into his the palms of his hands. He threw the ball, and it splashed on a Ham-mer. Electricity crackled around the Ham-mer and then fizzled. The Ham-mer laughed, swung its ham down. SpongeBob batted the ham sideways, but the Ham-mer didn't recoil. It swung its ham back down, SpongeBob catching the ham with his bubble wand, a shockwave rippling through the sponge.

Meanwhile, Ami's Shine Aqua Illusion pierced one of the D1000s. Ami jumped off the island on which the D1000 stood. The D1000 exploded, its explosion not reaching SpongeBob and his friends but destroying robots, including one that was in the middle of transitioning from a ball into a robot. Outrunning the explosion, Ami hurried toward the next D1000.

Mermaid Man flexed his hands. "I'm sorry, kid. My powers aren't strong enough."

"You can't give up, Mermaid Man. You've _never_ given up before." SpongeBob grit his teeth, shoving the Ham-mer into the goo, where it exploded. "Because these robots are evil incarnate."

Mermaid Man's eyes flashed. "Evil?" His face hardened. "Evil." He summoned a water ball that was the size of two beach balls combined. " _Evil!"_ he screeched, his cry echoing.

He threw the water ball, and it hovered over the field, split into several smaller water balls, surrounded the robots and the D1000s. Electricity crackled around the robots until they burst. SpongeBob ducked behind his arms. Even though he was a sponge and could absorb physical blows, he wouldn't fare as well against explosions. Heat surrounded him. When the heat and smoke faded, SpongeBob peered up. The robots' pieces were scattered on the ground.

SpongeBob's eyes twinkled. His hero still had it in him.

"Who would've thought that a simple world would unlock his superpowers?" Usagi said. "Then again, I guess I should be used to things like this happening by now."

"You have some nice powers, Mermaid Man," Ami said. "They remind me of my own powers. If we combined our powers…" She cleared her throat, averted her eyes to the ground.

"What's wrong?" SpongeBob said.

"Well…um…"

"You can say it, lass," Mermaid Man said. "I'll understand."

Ami tapped her fingers together. "You're an older man. Could you keep up with us?"

SpongeBob nodded rapidly. "We would love it if you helped us defeat these robots." How cool it would be to fight alongside his favorite superhero.

"I'm afraid I can't, youngsters." He crouched, massaging his feet. "My bunions are bothering me today."

"That's a perfectly valid reason. Barnacle Boy must be protecting the Mermalair."

"For now. I hope the lad is doing okay. Besides, the darn robots took the T.V. signal out. Until the repairman can get to Shady Shoals, I've been trying to get a little fresh air."

SpongeBob cocked his head. "So, you're not here to save Bikini Bottom from the robots?"

"Robots?" Mermaid man snapped his head in all directions. "What robots?"

"The robots that were everywhere a second ago," Ami said. "That you destroyed."

"Oh, those robots. Yes. I guess I am."

Of course he was. He was a superhero, and superheroes saved the world.

Usagi stepped closer to Mermaid Man, looking him up and down. "But you're human. How are you breathing down here? How are you surviving without one of these on?" She gestured over her suit and helmet. "It'd be so helpful if Ami and I didn't have to run around in these."

"Allow me to answer, Mermaid Man." SpongeBob's eyes grew distant as he opened the file cabinets in his brain, where he had compartmentalized each episode of _The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy_. "According to episode 200 of the T.V. show, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy once lived on land but, after a freak accident, drowned. Mermaids gave them powers, shrinking them and giving them the ability to breathe and live underwater."

Usagi and Ami looked at each other again. They did that a lot.

"Should I ask questions about this?" Ami said.

"The answers probably won't make sense, either." Usagi put a finger on her chin. "Y'know, I shouldn't be surprised by this, considering our own origin stories."

Wow, Usagi and her friends had origin stories, too? "You have got to tell me sometime," SpongeBob said.

"I'll stay here," Mermaid Man said, "nursing my bunions."

"Uh, right," Usagi said. "Stay safe, Mermaid Man. Just remember the—" She coughed.

"The what?" Mermaid Man leaned toward Usagi, putting his ear near her mouth.

"The…the…tapioca."

"Right, the tapioca. Thank you for reminding me. The tapioca is the key to unlocking the ninth dimension and unleashing the monkey man."

Usagi's jaw dropped. "Really?"

Ami placed her hands on Usagi's shoulders. "It's probably ramblings, Usagi-chan." She steered Usagi away. "Let's keep going. As you said, SpongeBob, Squidward's nose depends on us." She giggled.

"Thank you, Mermaid Man." Before SpongeBob could turn away, Mermaid Man fished a Golden Spatula out his pocket and gave it to SpongeBob.

"Here, kid. For you." Mermaid Man slung an arm around SpongeBob and drew him close, pounding a fist on his chest. "For fighting bravely against the robots."

SpongeBob's insides filled with jelly. He was going to melt with glee. "ThankyouMermaidManIdunnohowtothankyouenoughohyou'remyhero!"

"Keep going, kid. Your friends will leave you behind."

"O-okay. Thanks again, Mermaid Man." SpongeBob sprinted, catching up with Usagi and Ami, the Fields nearly silent since his hero destroyed the robots.

The three came across a Throw Fruit, a watermelon that was more suited for Patrick to use. Together, Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob picked up the Fruit and threw it onto multiple buttons, opening gates so that they could continue.

After a few minutes, they reached Plankton.

Mr. Krabs' rival stood on a rock, hard to notice since he and the rock were both gray. Was he trying to blend in with the rock, make himself less noticeable to the robots?

"What are you doing here?" Usagi said.

"It might have something to do with me trying to get away from these gosh-darn robots." Plankton looked from Usagi, to Ami, to SpongeBob. "Seems like you two still don't trust me."

Usagi shook her head.

"Understandable, I suppose." Plankton looked around. "I was expecting to see the big pink idiot with you, but no matter." He rubbed his hands. "Vaporizing him would have been a lot of fun. It'll have to wait for another time."

"We're standing right here," Usagi said. "Don't you think you should keep your evil plans secret?"

He shrugged. "Maybe that was my real plan, maybe it wasn't. You'll never know…unless it actually happens." He chuckled. "Now, not only did I come here to escape those robots, but I also came here to tell you where to go next—specifically, my big, pink future minion."

Ami's expression darkened. "Patrick's helping you now?"

"He did cross over to Plankton's side during the Fry Cook Games." SpongeBob stroked his chin. "Thankfully, those were only games and didn't involve a world-destroying plan, like these robots are trying to do. But Patrick's a good guy now, and he'll always be a good guy, no matter what." Patrick had never betrayed SpongeBob—at least, not on purpose.

Plankton scowled. "Stop thinking that every thought that runs through my head is about taking over the world. I assure you, they aren't." He said more softly, "Most of the time." Then, in his regular voice, he said, "Believe it or not, I came here to he…hel…heeee…" He gasped with effort and then hyperventilated.

"What's wrong, Plankton?" SpongeBob said. "Can't breathe?"

Plankton wheezed, coughed, stopped hyperventilating. "Let me try again. I'm here to he…hel…" He growled, thrust his hand toward a cave a few feet from them. "Just go in that cave. Read the signs that you see. Those signs were mostly there for anyone who had a lot of brute strength, like Patrick, which is why I was hoping that he would be with you. If you get through that cave, you can get rid of more of those robots and the duplicating machines that keep creating them, getting me one step closer to getting back into the Chum Bucket."

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "You could be tricking us."

A vein exploded above Plankton's eye. "I'm. Not. Tricking. You," he ground out between clenched teeth. "I'm hel…" He growled once more.

"Helping us?" Ami said.

"Yes. That sickening action that makes me want to puke all over myself." He shuddered. "Look, I shudder at even the mention of it. You might learn a few new skills while you're in there, enough to let me get back into the Chum Bucket. Understand?"

"Easy enough," Usagi said. "Just keep doing what we've been doing. So we really didn't need your help."

Plankton blinked. "I suppose so." His scowl deepened. "You mean I tortured myself, went against every evil bone in my body, to try and say that vile word for no reason?"

"Seems like it."

Plankton pointed at Usagi. "You may have outsmarted me today, but you won't outsmart me again." He shooed them away. "Now go before I get the urge to wash out my eye with soap."

* * *

Plankton snarled at SpongeBob's and his too smart human companions' backs, SpongeBob waving his bubble wand over his feet and creating large, bubble feet and then jumping on a button on the ground, lowering the gate that barred the caves. The blonde one turned back, glaring at him, and he replaced his snarl with a smile. She glared at him for another moment before disappearing into Jellyfish Cave alongside the sponge and the other human.

Plankton snarled again as soon as they were gone. Taking help from SpongeBob, of all fish, and the humans made his stomach roil.

He gazed into the distance, in the direction of the Chum Bucket. Karen…

What were those robots doing to his wife?

Despite the robot takeover, the potential of his food formulas and his plans for stealing the Krabby Patty's formula going missing, he had thought of Karen the most.

What if Karen was being hacked into, brainwashed by the robots?

That would mean he didn't have a friend left in Bikini Bottom.

Shamefully, the man in the relationship, couldn't protect his significant other.

How weak Plankton was.

He sat on the rock, caressing one of his antennae. How weak indeed.

* * *

SpongeBob, Usagi, and Ami entered Jellyfish Cave. Compared to the brightness of the Fields, the cave was dark, dank, scary. Water dripped from the ceiling.

"I've never been in here before," SpongeBob said, his voice reverberating. "According to the Jellyspotters' magazine, there aren't many jellyfish in here. And it leads to Spork Mountain, where King Jellyfish lives."

As he spoke, Usagi and Ami looked around. SpongeBob kept forgetting that they weren't from around here. If he went above ground, he'd look at everything the way Usagi and Ami were looking at every nook and cranny. The underwater world _was_ amazing. He had never known anything different, though, so what was amazing to Usagi and Ami wasn't that awesome to him.

But Jellyfish Cave was pretty awesome. Despite it looking like a regular cave, it had its quirks. And the cave was a test for those who wanted to see King Jellyfish. One that SpongeBob, Usagi, and Ami would pass.

SpongeBob skidded to a stop, Usagi and Ami stopping beside him, a mini-volcano sitting in front of them, one of the cave's quirks. Smoke rose from the volcano and then blew out rocks that were filled with lava. The three scrambled backward, the rocks falling on the ground around the volcano, where they remained for several seconds until breaking into pieces.

The three waited. Ami timed the pattern of when the volcano released rocks to be six seconds, enough time for them to jump over the volcano, which they did. They jumped over several other volcanos. Usagi's foot became caught in one of the volcanos, and she bit her tongue, eyes watering (how tough she was, taking the pain silently. SpongeBob would've cried), but SpongeBob and Ami worked together to pull her out, grabbing one another by the shoulders and pulling, landing in a heap and then scurrying away from the lava rocks jetting out from the volcano.

Usagi put her hand on her heart. "That. That was very close." She dunked her foot into a nearby lake, smoke rising. The suit hadn't been damaged. "I really, really hope that we can figure out how to get these suits off. The least I can say is that this suit protected my foot from being burned off."

"I've been thinking about these suits for a while," Ami said. "I could create a type of chip, like a computer chip, to insert into our noses—not the most comfortable place, I realize, but it's where we inhale and exhale—that will allow us to breathe. The chip will hold oxygen from Sandy's treedome, and we'll have to go inside Sandy's treedome periodically to refill it with oxygen. The chip will also have the ability to let us be here, underwater, without succumbing to the pressure." She averted her gaze to the wall. "Something like this hasn't ever been invented, so it'll be a scientific breakthrough if I could invent it."

Usagi grinned. "That's awesome, Ami-chan. I hope you can start designing it soon."

"Yeah, you and Sandy can work together," SpongeBob said. "She invents stuff all the time, too."

"Like the rocket," Ami said. "I can't forget about that."

The three pressed two buttons to open a gate, ignoring the Throw Fruit that was near the gate. Jumped over needles that jutted out from the ground and then retracted, over another mini-volcano, across a river with platforms floating inside it that were placed from other jellyfishers.

In front of another gate, a pressure plate was embedded in the ground, like the one that they had seen in the fields that had revealed bowling pins, giving SpongeBob his idea for a Bubble Bowl attack. His new attack needed refining, but he'd keep practicing until he got it right.

Together, SpongeBob, Ami, and Usagi heaved the Throw Fruit and placed it on the plate. Once the gate retracted, they ran past it. As soon as Ami stepped past the gate, the Throw Fruit wilted, and the gate shot up, touching the ceiling so that the three couldn't go back, even if Usagi and Ami flew.

"Time will tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Ami said.

"You guys can fly back down from Spork Mountain so we don't have to go back through this cave." SpongeBob could fly with them. Another chance to fulfill his dream.

"Or one of those weird teleportation boxes will be up there," Usagi said.

"But the teleportation boxes aren't as fun."

"For me, they were," Ami said. "Sort of. It was more interesting than fun."

The three continued, stacking Throw Fruit on top of each other and then climbing up to higher surfaces, the three panting. Once they reached the top surface, a slide awaited them.

"What is this?" Usagi said. "It looks slippery."

"That's because it's a slide," SpongeBob said. "Not like the slides on playgrounds. The slides down here are long and have a lot of obstacles on them. There was a slide in the fields, but we missed it when the duplicating machine exploded, and we flew right over it."

Usagi and Ami stared at the slide, Usagi pursing her lips.

"It's not scary or anything." SpongeBob stepped in front of them. "Here, watch me." He lolled out his tongue and said, "I slide wit' my tongue."

Ami raised her eyebrows. "Doesn't that burn your tongue?"

"Slides are smooth. Of course it doesn't hurt or burn. I mean, why would it?"

Ami regarded SpongeBob, her expression staying neutral. "No reason, I guess."

"I can't help but ask." A smile spread on Usagi's face. "Does the slide taste like anything?"

"It tastes like a slide. Salty, like sweat."

Ami opened her mouth.

Usagi interrupted Ami with a laugh. "I think that's enough questions for today. Let's slide. I'll lose my courage and my appetite if we keep asking questions."

"Watch and learn." SpongeBob jumped, sticking out his tongue, and landed, tongue-first, on the slide. He slid down, leaving a trail of saliva.

Soon, Usagi and Ami followed, both curled into balls, drawing their knees to their chests. They turned around curves, the Guardians slamming into the wall a few times.

Usagi winced. "We should've gone first."

"Thankfully, these suits will protect us from his saliva," Ami said softly. "I'm glad they're being useful for something other than keeping us from being crushed and for slowing us down." SpongeBob wouldn't mind mixing with their human saliva, though. Their superpowers might rub off on him.

"A'oid the Thunder Tikis," SpongeBob said. "Dey e'plode when you touch them."

Thunder Tikis, yellow and red tikis that were inches shorter than SpongeBob, were lined on the slide. Must've been the robots that put them there.

SpongeBob swerved around the tikis. He twisted, looking at Usagi and Ami behind him. They slid on their bottoms, splaying their arms. Usagi yelped, pushing herself away from the Thunder Tikis, crashing into the wall opposite, where more Thunder Tikis stood a few feet ahead of her. Usagi's eyes bulged. She slammed her hand on the wall and pushed, sliding in the opposite direction. Ami gripped Usagi's hand, pulled her away from the Thunder Tikis.

All this avoiding the Thunder Tikis—

An explosion rocked SpongeBob, sent him flying.

"Not again!" Usagi's voice rattled. SpongeBob crashed into walls, the ceiling, the slide. He flew through air.

All that watching Usagi and Ami distracted SpongeBob. He should've been watching where he was going.

He splashed into goo, thrashed about. "I'm drowning." He surfaced, Ami spinning like a log into Freezy Fruit, careening the Fruit into the goo. Ice spread. SpongeBob flailed faster, but to no avail. He was frozen in mid-flail.

At least he could move his watering eyes, but the tears weren't melting the ice.

"Don't worry, SpongeBob, Ami-chan." Usagi. "I'll save—" She screamed. SpongeBob was facing the surface. Ami must have been submerged under the goo and frozen. Unless…

Two Ham-mers lifted Usagi off the ground, threw her onto the iced-over goo. Cracks spread from where she had landed.

Usagi stayed still, glancing at the cracks. Dared not move nor breathe.

The robots were still, Usagi was still, SpongeBob was still because he had no choice, and where was Ami?

The robots laughed, like they were challenging Usagi to outsmart them.

Usagi looked from SpongeBob, somewhere to her right and behind her—must be where Ami was—to the robots. Glanced at her weapon. Bit her lip.

She launched herself from the ice, flew above them. The cracks spread more, to SpongeBob. A Ham-mer wheeled to another Freezy Fruit that had grown on the patch—they grew back every few seconds—swung its head of ham, sent the Freezy Fruit into the goo, and refroze it again, the new ice spreading over the cracks. Leaving SpongeBob trapped.

He couldn't do anything to help Usagi.

Another Freezy Fruit grew. The Ham-mer swung its head of ham once more, knocking the Fruit toward Usagi. She flitted to the right, and the Fruit shattered against the ceiling.

The ice would melt thanks to the cave's warmth, but not as long as these robots kept knocking the Freezy Fruit onto the goo.

"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

Hearts filled the area, piercing the robots. How beautiful. Warmed SpongeBob's heart. And his arms. And his legs, and his entire body.

The goo had melted.

SpongeBob was stuck in that awkward moment when he floated in the air, about to fall the foot into the goo.

Arms hooked under him, pulled him up. He looked over his shoulder. Ami was carrying him. She smiled.

"Not their best plan," Ami said, the hearts smashing through the robots. As delicate as the hearts looked, they had a lot of power.

A D1000 was huffing and puffing yards away. It created two more Ham-mers, which landed on the ground nearest Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob.

Usagi aimed her Moon Kaleidoscope toward the robots. "No problem."

Shards from the broken Freezy Fruit fell from the ceiling, where they had become stuck in stalactites.

Onto Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob.

Ice encased the three.

They plummeted into the goo.

The robots laughed.

Now all three of them couldn't move.

Note to self: never use a conch shell to make a wish.


	6. Glory

**Chapter Six: Glory**

Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob were encased in frozen blocks on top of a frozen lake in a cave.

Not the best way to go out.

Not that Usagi thought they were going out.

How long would it take for the blocks to melt? Ami would know those sorts of things. But in Bikini Bottom, the only thing that was for certain was that nothing was for certain.

The Ham-mers slid onto the ice. Using their heads of ham, they shoved the blocks of ice, smacking Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob into one another like bumper cars, stars dancing in Usagi's vision.

Usagi bounced off the wall and careened into one of the robots, knocking it off its wheeled foot and onto the ice. The ice shattered, dumping everyone into the water. Electricity crackled around the robots, spread throughout the lake. The robots burst, their remnants floating.

The ice surrounding Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob began to melt. The electricity mounted around Usagi. Felt like fire blazing all over.

Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob screamed, the pain worsening as the ice continued to melt. They had to get out of this lake.

Ami was the strongest swimmer; she could take care of herself. SpongeBob couldn't swim, so Usagi mustered her dwindling energy, pushed it upward, and flew, electricity surrounding her. She dove to a flailing SpongeBob, the last of his ice melting. She hooked her arms under his own arms and lifted him from the goo. Electricity spread to her, and electricity from her own body spread to him. Ignoring the jaw-rattling pain, Usagi flew to the ground, placing SpongeBob on it. At the same time, Ami pulled herself onto the surface, water dripping off of her. Usagi hadn't seen Ami swim, but there she was.

Ami jetted out water from her hand, slamming the water into a D1000 on a platform above them. The D1000 exploded.

They were safe. The fight hadn't been long and arduous like the last few.

They lay on the ground, let the electricity surrounding them die. Usagi closed her eyes, pretended that she had fallen asleep. Visualized herself and Mamoru in their own house, Chibi-Usa sleeping in her bedroom.

She hoped the rest of her friends were having an easier time than she, Ami, and SpongeBob were.

She opened her eyes. A light shone a few yards from them.

They had reached the end of the cave.

Usagi took a breath, pushed herself onto her feet. "Out there…is Spork Mountain right outside?" She was getting sick of these fields. Running through Jellyfish Fields was the most she had exerted herself physically since she'd first become Sailor Moon.

SpongeBob tilted backward and then catapulted onto his feet. "Nope. According to the map in the Jellyspotters' manual, we have to get through Jellyfish Lake. Then we'll reach Spork Mountain. But the lake isn't that long."

Ami stepped beside them. "We're in the home stretch, then." She was plastered with sweat, her breath steaming on her helmet. Her hair was tousled, her face red. The deep sea dive suits didn't make running, jumping, and fighting easier.

SpongeBob wasn't sweating, but he was panting, too. His face didn't change color like humans' did when he was exhausted, but he was likely as tired.

Usagi must look worse than Ami. Her fellow Guardian swam to keep herself in shape, while Usagi's idea of keeping in shape was getting up every few hours to walk to the bathroom.

Hopefully, King Jellyfish would see how tired she and her friends were and have mercy upon them, giving them the jelly without a hassle.

The three climbed the last three surfaces, emerging into the sunlight, Usagi squinting from spending time in the dark.

Jellyfish Lake was more open than Jellyfish Rock. Green fields surrounded the three, lakes dotting the area. A waterfall cascading in the distance added to the lake's ambience of serenity. It was more beautiful than the fields, despite the robots wheeling around.

In the distance stretched a mountain. Looked like they would have to do a lot more climbing before they reached it. Usagi's legs were already throbbing from the thought of more climbing.

A more immediate matter was the red crab standing before them, clad in a collared shirt and pants and standing on two peglike legs.

"Ahoy there, SpongeBob and…" The crab looked at Usagi and Ami. "…human friends." He drew the last word out. His voice became low. "The ones behind the hooks."

Ami cocked her head. "Hooks? Sir?" The crab _did_ seem like a sir.

The crab stared at them.

"What's wrong, Mr. Krabs?" SpongeBob turned to Usagi and Ami. "He's my boss at the Krusty Krab, by the way, where I work as a fry cook." He gestured toward Usagi and Ami. "Mr. Krabs, these are…"

Mr. Krabs backed away.

"Do you mean fishing hooks, Mr. Krabs?" Usagi said. Because if that was true, then Mr. Krabs was somewhat right. Neither Usagi nor Ami fished, but they did eat a lot of fish since they lived on an island.

"Yes," Mr. Krabs said, drawing out the "s" so that he hissed like a snake.

Usagi raised her hands. "Don't worry. We don't fish."

He narrowed his long eyes. "But do ya _eat_ fish?" He had a pirate's accent, making him sound sinister.

There was no good answer to his question. If they said no, Mr. Krabs wouldn't believe them, and if they said yes, then…

Ami nodded. "We do, Mr. Krabs."

Mr. Krabs stared at them. They stared at Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob looked between them.

"I've got my eyes"—his eyes blew up like balloons and then deflated— "on you two."

"Okay." What an awkward thing to say. Usagi smiled as broadly as she could without seeming like she had forced the smile, which she had. "I'm Usagi, by the way." She bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She meant that. Meeting these unique fish was a pleasant experience.

"I'm Ami." She bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Krabs."

Mr. Krabs hardened his expression. Trying to intimidate them by staying silent?

"We're here to help with the robot problem." Usagi decided against telling him the whole story. Didn't want to give him more reason to distrust them.

"I'm sure." His voice bled sarcasm. Must think that Usagi and Ami were behind the robots coming.

Mr. Krabs' nose twitched. "I smell…" He sniffed, the inhaling noise audible. "I smell Shiny Objects." His eyes darted to SpongeBob. "SpongeBob, did you pick up some Shiny Objects on your way here?" Just like that, he forgot about the suspicious humans. And he could smell Shiny Objects? Usagi hadn't smelled them at all.

"Yup. We used them to pay a clam so could cross a bridge earlier, and then I kept grabbing a few around the fields. And when we defeat robots, they drop Shiny Objects."

Mr. Krabs began salivating. His accent might not be for show. "How about we set up a trade?" His pupils dilated. "For every 1,000 Shiny Objects you give to me—with the price having the freedom to increase as I see fit—I'll give you a Golden Spatula."

SpongeBob's eyes lit up. "That sounds like a great deal, Mr. Krabs. Let's do it."

Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob shook hands. "The Krusty Krab's been losin' money because of these blasted robots, and no more money means no more Krusty Krab. No more Krusty Krab, no more fry cookin' for you."

SpongeBob squared his shoulders. "Then I'll find as many Shiny Objects as I can."

Mr. Krabs was taking a bit of an advantage with SpongeBob, but Usagi kept quiet. Mr. Krabs _was_ SpongeBob's boss, and she didn't want the sponge to lose his job because of her.

"I've been having another issue with gettin' me money—I mean customers—to come to the Krusty Krab. Squidward—poor man looks like his nose to about to explode—anyhow, he tells me you've been lookin' for the King Jellyfish. That King Jellyfish has been zapping my customers in their poop decks, keepin' `em in the hospital, away from the Krusty Krab, where they could be givin' me money. King Jellyfish is on Spork Mountain, right there." He pointed to the mountain. A red curtain was drawn atop the mountain, perhaps blocking King Jellyfish from view.

Was Mr. Krabs so greedy that he was more concerned about money than his money's— _customers'_ —health and well-being?

"Go hook that beast, sailor—zzz," Mr. Krabs said, adding the "s" when glancing at Usagi and Ami. A sign that he was starting to trust them?

Usagi and Ami started away. Mr. Krabs pulled SpongeBob aside, whispered in one of the sponge's holes, "Be careful of them, SpongeBob."

"But they're fine, Mr. Krabs," SpongeBob said. "Besides, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are humans, and they're trustworthy."

Mr. Krabs waved his hands downward. "Quiet, lad, quiet. Remember the hooks?" He thought he was being quiet, but thanks to Sailor Moon's heightened senses, she could hear him.

"Yes, sir, but they've come this far with me. I don't think they're trying to trick me."

Mr. Krabs sighed deeply.

SpongeBob seemed naïve, but Usagi and the rest of her friends weren't deceiving him. They wanted to save Bikini Bottom as much as SpongeBob did. First of all, the robots could destroy the ocean if allowed to roam free. Second of all, SpongeBob was too cute to trick, with his big blue eyes and little buck teeth.

Mr. Krabs gripped SpongeBob's shoulders. "Be careful, SpongeBob. That's all I'm saying."

"Of course I'll be careful, sir."

SpongeBob rejoined Usagi and Ami, smiling. Usagi and Ami returned his smile.

"We're here to help you, SpongeBob," Ami said. "Remember that."

"I will. I trusted you from the beginning." Not a good thing, since Usagi and her friends could've been as destructive as the robots. Maybe SpongeBob could be more doubtful of others, but his faith was part of his charm and innocence that Usagi didn't want to take away from him, like it had been taken away from her. Life had become grimmer since she'd become a Guardian. Allies became enemies, enemies became allies. Everything was twisted, and if there was one more person who believed in others to the extent that SpongeBob did, she would protect that person.

A few feet away from them stood another new robot.

This robot was as tall as the Ham-mers, but the only thing that made it as tall was the container of tartar sauce on its back, the container complete with a label that read, "Tar-tar Sauce." The robot itself was as tall as a Fodder. Hopefully, it was as easy to defeat as a Fodder, too.

In front of the Tar-tar Sauce stood three boards, one with a painting of a sponge on it, another with a painting of a starfish, and the third depicting a squirrel.

The robots were hot on SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, and the Guardians' trails.

The Tar-tar Sauce held a funnel that resembled a vacuum cleaner's tube. It aimed its funnel-vacuum at the boards and shot steaming tartar sauce. The tartar sauce splattered on each of the boards, the board decorated with a sponge falling to the ground, steam rising. The sauce splattered the board with the starfish drawing, making it spin in place. The board with the squirrel drawing was flung away. Where it had gone, Usagi didn't see.

SpongeBob chomped on his nails like a chipmunk chomped on wood, nails flying in all directions, hitting Usagi's suit. Another of the few times she was thankful to be wearing it.

The spinning board slowed and then fell. The robot blew its funnel like a cowboy out of the wild, wild west.

Ami jetted out Shine Aqua Illusion. The robot swiveled to face them and then launched tartar sauce from its funnel, the sauce clashing against the jetstream and pushing the water into Ami's chest. She flew backward and crashed on the ground, sliding, leaving a shallow trench. Steam rose from her suit, part of which the tartar sauce had burned, leaving a scorch mark. Any more burning, and a hole would be left in the suit. The pressure would crush Ami, and she wouldn't be able to breathe.

SpongeBob stepped forward. "I'll defeat it. You two stay back. You can take care of Ami, Usagi."

"All right." SpongeBob was right. A hole could be burned through him, too, but he could move faster than Usagi and Ami could in their suits, and he wasn't at risk for not being able to breathe or being crushed from pressure.

Usagi hurried to Ami's side, Ami cringing.

"Are you all right?" Usagi said.

"Yes." Ami rubbed a hand over the scorch mark. "It didn't burn me, but it did burn my suit a little. It was more the shock and the falling that jarred me. The suit does a good job protecting against physical attacks."

"Yeah." She glanced at Mr. Krabs. Despite his employee diving into battle, the crab watched Usagi and Ami. Was he afraid that they would team up with the robot and hurt SpongeBob?

The robot jumped away from SpongeBob and shot its tartar sauce thrice. Some of the tartar sauce splattered onto the ground, steaming, shrunk some inches, revealing the burnt ground underneath. SpongeBob gasped.

"How dare you destroy Jellyfish Fields?" He reached the robot, swung his wand into the robot's torso. The robot was forced back a little ways, but it wasn't destroyed. SpongeBob rushed to the robot once more, the robot raising its funnel in a blur and then shooting out tartar sauce. SpongeBob yelped, leaped back, steam rising from him. The sponge may not be able to feel physical attacks, but hot tartar sauce burned.

SpongeBob rebounded, dashing to the robot. He swung his bubble wand. The robot jumped over the wand and then bashed SpongeBob's head, smashing him into the ground like a potato, except his forehead and nose stuck out. Usagi would've laughed, SpongeBob looked so funny in the ground, but the situation was serious, and she didn't want to make Mr. Krabs more suspicious.

Usagi rushed before SpongeBob. Aiming her Moon Kaleidoscope at the robot, she yelled, "Rainbow Moon Heartache." Light filled the area, apparently blinding the robot since it stood still, whipped its head around, didn't move. A beam of hearts emerged from her weapon, slamming into the robot. Cracks fissured in the robot and the jar of tartar sauce on its back. Tartar sauce shot out of the cracks. Usagi pulled SpongeBob out of the ground by the forehead, hurrying away from the tartar sauce burning patches in the ground. The robot hollered, it and the jar of tartar sauce breaking into pieces, tartar sauce pooling on the ground. The light faded.

Usagi let out a breath, let SpongeBob on the ground.

"You saved me," SpongeBob said, face alight. "See, Mr. Krabs? I told you Usagi and Ami are here to help us."

"They could be plannin' somethin'. You know firsthand how crafty those humans can be. Remember the hooks."

"I don't know." He grinned at Usagi and Ami. "They've been friendly so far." He deepened his voice into a hero's voice once more. "Let's keep going. We still have much ground to cover." He bounded forward.

Usagi took a chance and gave Mr. Krabs a smile. Mr. Krabs narrowed his eyes so much so that he almost closed them. Ami shrugged.

The humans followed SpongeBob through the fields, defeating robots, jumping over small gaps, avoiding goo. Even though Usagi could swim, after the two life-threatening incidents that they had earlier involving goo, if Usagi didn't see goo again, it would be too soon.

Usagi's mind kept returning to Mr. Krabs. He seemed like he was a lot older and more experienced than many of the fish here, maybe older than Usagi and her friends were in human years. Perhaps that was why the crab was suspicious of humans. Did Mr. Krabs have a bad experience with humans before? Maybe Usagi would ask Mr. Krabs about it, if he was willing to tell her at all. Or SpongeBob, Patrick, or Sandy could ask for her. A lot of older people above ground were stuck in their ways, too, mostly when it came to foreigners in Japan. Usagi _did_ look at foreigners a little longer than necessary, especially the handsome men, but she didn't distrust them like the older people did.

Now she knew what it was like to feel like a foreigner.

She had never ventured outside of Japan before, not counting her times on the moon or paying a visit to her enemies. She was interacting with all sorts of creatures here. Their suspiciousness of humans wasn't overt, and they didn't seem to distrust humans much. The fish treated humans like other fish. If only the Japanese did the same.

For now, though, Usagi focused on what was ahead. And what was ahead was a pufferfish—Rei's favorite food.

Usagi pushed the thought out of her mind. Fish were living creatures.

The pufferfish stood before a bridge leading to a small island. Orange containers that looked like water fountains poured goo from their faucets into the lake, but the lake didn't rise. Must be a reservoir where the water was being drained as quickly as it was being poured in. Did the fish get their water supply from here?

The pufferfish groaned at SpongeBob.

SpongeBob waved anyhow. "Mrs. Puff." He rushed to Mrs. Puff, an apropos name, and stood two inches away. Mrs. Puff took a step back. SpongeBob took a step forward. Mrs. Puff took another step back. SpongeBob took another step forward.

"SpongeBob, didn't Squidward have a talk with you about personal space?" Mrs. Puff said.

"Yes. What about it?"

"Do I need to have a talk with you about personal space, too?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh, I believe I do, Mr. SquarePants." Her eyes shot to Usagi and Ami, and her eyes bulged. She backed away, shaking and glaring. "Humans."

Not again.

SpongeBob glanced back at Usagi and Ami, an apology in his eyes. "It's okay, Mrs. Puff. I just got finished explaining to Mr. Krabs, they're not evil."

"I saw them in Downtown Bikini Bottom, too, and came here so I wouldn't have to see those pufferfish lamp-loving pieces of—" She slapped a fin over her mouth. "Excuse me."

SpongeBob gasped, clasping his hands over his mouth. "Did you almost say a naughty word? Not a good example from a teacher."

That wasn't important. Hopefully, Mamoru, Rei, and Chibi-Usa hadn't gotten a hard time from Mrs. Puff. "Whatever humans did to you, we're sorry." Usagi bowed her head. "We weren't directly responsible for it, we can assure you"—unless she meant that they had eaten pufferfish, which they had done plenty of times and would not be mentioned in front of any fish— "and that we mean you no harm at all. We're here to help with the robot issue." Talking through the same points as she did with Mr. Krabs was exhausting.

Mrs. Puff turned up her nose, waved them away. "Go ahead and 'help' SpongeBob, but Mr. SquarePants is stronger than he looks."

"Wow, thank you, Mrs. Puff."

Usagi curled her lips inward. Must not tell SpongeBob that Mrs. Puff wasn't complimenting him.

"Although I do warn you, SpongeBob, to be careful. Humans are cunning. They'll do anything they want to fishkind."

"But Mrs. Puff—"

"It's all right, SpongeBob," Ami said. "We should keep going."

SpongeBob took a step away, then another, until he caught up with Usagi and Ami. The three continued through the fields, SpongeBob slouching.

Usagi placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault."

SpongeBob stared at the ground. Usagi sunk.

The three jumped down surfaces, climbed surfaces, defeated robots and more robots, jumped down, jumped up, jumped over gaps, over rivers, kept climbing. They traversed through a valley, parts of the river intersecting it. The roars of multiple small waterfalls filled the valley, made it tranquil despite being filled with robots. Their run seemed to go on for an eternity, although it must've been a few minutes at the most.

Once they ran through the valley—at the last minute, Usagi realized that it wasn't a valley but the base of Spork Mountain—they emerged in a bright expanse overlooking Jellyfish Fields. Ami's breath caught.

Usagi had never flown before becoming a Guardian, but Rei had flown on a plane to see her father, who was a politician, and she said that everything looked to be a quarter of its size. When Usagi flew as Sailor Moon, everything looked miniature. But standing here was a sight of its own.

Rivers crisscrossed the fields. A rock was erect at the beginning of the area, where Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob had entered. Even Squidward's head and nose were visible. A few robots milled about; they might have come from the residential area.

Hard to believe that they had come so far.

All the trepidation Usagi had first felt… Going through Jellyfish Fields with SpongeBob made things easier. She was glad he was with them, not only for his expertise, but also because he had stayed optimistic through everything.

At first, Usagi didn't think she could climb this far, but she was stronger than she thought.

Usagi let herself relax. "I could stare at this view all day."

"Me, too," Ami said, not taking her eyes from down below.

"Me, three." SpongeBob sat, sprawled himself out. "I've never been this high before."

Usagi and Ami sat, too, Usagi drawing up her knees and resting her forearms on them. Ami sat, her back straight, on her knees like she was sitting on a cushion, proper as always.

The sun was setting, the sky becoming more overcast with the flowers that served as Bikini Bottom's clouds.

"We're right here," SpongeBob said. "I mean, about to meet K-K-King J-J-Jellyfish." He shook as he spoke the king's name. "I can hardly believe it. I've met him only once before." He eyed the sky. "I wonder if he'll remember me."

"It'll make things a little easier for us if that's the case, especially if he remembers you giving him pie." Ami stood, brushed her suit of dirt. "The sun's setting. I think we should keep going. Things might get a little harder for us if we wait until after dark to approach King Jellyfish."

Usagi and SpongeBob stood. Usagi could hardly believe that they had gone through the entirety of Jellyfish Fields with the cannon, the robots, the goo, the mini-volcanos in only a day. Not even the full day, either. They had run through part of Bikini Bottom, too, and defeated robots.

Now it was time.

The beauty before them was like the calm before the storm.

She took one final gaze into the fields, its quietness. She turned toward the slope leading to the mountain.

Where the king awaited them.


	7. In the Presence of Royalty

**Chapter Seven: In the Presence of Royalty**

Despite facing only a jellyfish, Ami was as stiff as an elderly person with nervousness. How powerful _was_ King Jellyfish?

SpongeBob led she and Usagi up the slope, a cast iron gate erect near the top. Was the gate for King Jellyfish's privacy or for the fish's protection?

The gate creaked open.

Ami suppressed a gulp. "Are we ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Usagi didn't keep down her gulp. "I'm as afraid as I would be if we were facing a major enemy, like the Dark Kingdom or Black Moon."

Ami didn't blame Usagi. With the physics in Bikini Bottom, King Jellyfish could be capable of shapeshifting or teleporting.

"Don't worry, guys," SpongeBob said. "King Jellyfish is friendly, as long as we don't catch him at a bad time."

"What's a 'bad time'?" Ami said.

"According to the Jellyspotters' magazine, a bad time is only when he showers. But it's evening, not morning, and King Jellyfish showers at night, right before he goes to bed. It's not that late yet." He placed a finger on his chin. "Unless he has an appointment tomorrow morning that he has to get up early for."

"All this speculation will do is make us more worried," Usagi said. "The only thing we can do is keep going."

The three ran up the winding slope. Where Bubble Buddy awaited them.

"How did you get up here faster than us?" Usagi blurted.

Bubble Buddy put a finger to where his mouth would be if he was human or a fish. "Shhh. King Jellyfish is just at the top of this path," he said softly. "And he's not a big fan of too much noise. To answer your question, I floated up here, of course."

"Of course," Usagi said, voice flat.

"Good luck. You'll need it."

"Gosh, everyone is helping out today," SpongeBob said. "Thanks, Bubble Buddy."

Bubble Buddy waved as the three tiptoed up the path. A series of drawn-out buzzes came from the mountain.

"Is that jellyfish singing?" Usagi whispered.

SpongeBob trembled, a grin encompassing his face. "What a beautiful voice he has."

Above ground, people usually sang when they were showering.

Ami heard the fall of water that indicated that someone was showering.

They had to at least look. The three peeked over the surface.

King Jellyfish looked no different than the other jellyfish, save that he was five times bigger than the smaller ones. He scrubbed his back with a brush, water cascading from a showerhead, into a porcelain tub. A shower curtain patterned with jars of jellyfish jelly shielded King Jellyfish's inoffensive nakedness—save for his red cape and shower cap (did this jellyfish have hair?)—from perverted eyes. He sung to his brush. Or he was using it like a microphone, imagining himself singing at a concert.

Ami squared herself. This wouldn't be easy.

"How about we wait until he's done showering? I think Squidward should be able to hang in there with the pain for a few more minutes." Usagi turned back toward the slope. Almost took a step, but jabbed her foot on a rock. Her yelp echoed throughout the mountain.

King Jellyfish whipped toward them, coughing. His shower cap popped off, floated into the tub, revealing the crown atop the jellyfish's head. No hair. The jellyfish was protecting his crown.

"Sorry, guys," Usagi whispered.

"No, this is exciting." SpongeBob jumped, flapping his hands like he was a bird, and landed on the ground. "Hello, King Jellyfish. How are you?"

King Jellyfish made a rumbling noise that was a hybrid between a buzz and a lion's growl.

"I'm assuming you're okay. You were singing joyfully a few seconds ago, until you saw us."

"That's not a good sign." Usagi's eyes darted over King Jellyfish, taking in his size, searching for weaknesses. Ami couldn't find any. Fighting King Jellyfish was unnecessary. All they wanted was a jar of his jelly to heal someone, not to sell or do anything harmful with it.

 _Now explain that to a jellyfish, Ami._

But how? Could jellyfish understand speech? Or were they like dogs, able to understand speech but unable to speak?

Usagi and Ami climbed onto the surface. Usagi gripped her Moon Kaleidoscope so hard that her knuckles whitened.

They were too nervous, fighting against a jellyfish. They had faced worse. Or had they?

"Do you remember me, Your Highness?" SpongeBob said.

King Jellyfish floated in place. Couldn't tell where King Jellyfish was looking because he had no eyes.

King Jellyfish scratched his head with one of his stingers, which the three had to stay away from at all costs. Since SpongeBob operated under different rules, if he was stung, he would likely be okay, albeit incapacitated for a few hours. But Usagi and Ami, who were human and operated under "normal" rules, would likely die, especially with the size of the king making his shocks more powerful.

Hopefully, King Jellyfish remembered SpongeBob positively. Because if the king remembered SpongeBob from a bad experience—SpongeBob never told them about the circumstances leading to him giving the king pie—then their fight would become ten times more difficult.

King Jellyfish lay on the ground, quaking it, spreading out his stingers, making Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob stumble. A wave of electricity pulsed throughout King Jellyfish's body.

"Get ready." SpongeBob's eyes twinkled. "Our Highness is about to release his famous shockwave, known for devastating buildings, fish, and burning the earth while being beautiful. We're gonna have to jump over it." He was too happy to be fighting against this jellyfish.

Ami loosened herself. King Jellyfish released a shockwave. The three jumped over it, even though Usagi and Ami were weighed down by their suits.

King Jellyfish floated above the three. Ring-shaped electricity pulsed throughout the king's stingers, up and down, up and down, hypnotic. Smaller jellyfish popped out from between King Jellyfish's stingers. King Jellyfish was giving birth without breeding.

The small jellyfish buzzed, flying toward the three, electricity crackling from their stingers.

"We don't have to hurt them badly." SpongeBob raised his bubble wand. "A swing of this should take care of them."

"Then a swing of my Moon Kaleidoscope should take care of them, too," Usagi said. "Prayerfully."

One of the jellyfish suctioned itself to Ami's helmet, her vision covered by its light purple body. She hadn't seen or heard it coming. She screamed, her self-control gone in that instant of literal shock; the jellyfish zapped her, electricity spreading throughout her body. She collapsed on the ground, flailing, hitting something squishy. SpongeBob screamed—she must've hit him.

The electricity stopped just as quickly. Ami's eyes shot open. Usagi was before her, gripping her Moon Kaleidoscope. SpongeBob barreled into King Jellyfish, sending both himself and the jellyfish off Spork Mountain. Ami must've hit him harder than she thought.

King Jellyfish crashed into one of the water fountain-like machines at the base of Spork Mountain, where Mrs. Puff stood. The pufferfish hollered and ran faster than Ami thought a pufferfish could move.

"Ami-chan, are you okay?" Usagi said.

"Yes, I am. To be honest, I'm more worried about SpongeBob."

SpongeBob slid off King Jellyfish, landing on the island in the middle of the water fountains, the rest of which poured water into the lake. A D1000 puffed on top of one of the fountains, creating three robots at a time.

Fodders, Ham-mers, Tar-tar Sauces surrounded SpongeBob on the island. He couldn't fight them and King Jellyfish on his own.

Ami pushed herself to her feet, staggered. "We have to help them."

Usagi caught Ami by the arm before she fell, using her Moon Kaleidoscope to bat another jellyfish away. Thankfully, no others moved as quickly as the first had. "Ami-chan, are you sure you're okay enough to move? SpongeBob and I can handle this by ourselves. I don't think King Jellyfish is friends with the robots. They've taken over his territory, after all." Her frown deepened. "Although, if a bunch of robots took over _my_ territory, and I was a jellyfish, then I wouldn't be taking a shower. I'd be getting them out of my land."

If enemies took over Planet Mercury, then Ami would be fighting to reclaim her planet, too. Maybe Usagi was thinking the same way about the moon.

Below, King Jellyfish hovered above the robots, SpongeBob swinging his bubble wand, keeping the robots at bay, but the robots inched closer to him as the seconds passed. Soon, they'd overwhelm the sponge.

Ami pushed herself into flight. "We have to hurry, Usagi-chan."

Usagi ran her tongue over her lips. "If you're sure… Okay. I'll keep you safe."

Usagi and Ami flew toward King Jellyfish and SpongeBob, the robots approaching SpongeBob, the sponge swiveling, wand raised.

The smaller jellyfish surrounded Usagi and Ami with neckbreaking speed. A blue jellyfish floated in front of them all—the leader? Usagi and Ami jerked to stops.

"We really don't want to hurt you guys," Usagi said. "We're just trying to help your father, erm, king, I guess, defeat those robots. We're on your side, not the robots'."

The jellyfish didn't move.

Usagi swung her Kaleidoscope, batting several jellyfish away, but they returned in moments.

SpongeBob hollered. Ami whipped her head to look. The robots were carrying SpongeBob. Mrs. Puff was trembling, and Mr. Krabs had joined her. The crab rolled up his sleeve, raised his pincer, and charged toward the fray. Mrs. Puff grabbed after him, her fin brushing his sleeve. Mr. Krabs' shouts reached the sky.

Mr. Krabs was an older fish. If he tried to fight too…

"We'll have to charge through," Usagi said.

"Agreed." Ami dove, Usagi doing the same. They shoved through the smaller jellyfish, splitting the wall of purple until the way below was clear.

Electricity, all around Ami. Like she had touched an electric outlet while building up static electricity, but instead of the sensation in one part of her body, the shock covered her. She writhed in place, eyes bulging, likely making some ghastly facial expression that would be hilarious in another situation.

Usagi started to call her name and then was cut off by her own gargled scream. One of the jellyfish had gotten her, too.

Ami could no longer see what was happening to SpongeBob. She hoped the sponge was doing better than she and Usagi were. Heck, she and Usagi were the experienced ones. They should've been doing better.

But they weren't. Against jellyfish.

Even though Usagi and Ami had faced worse, they couldn't withstand the rules of Bikini Bottom.

But SpongeBob was familiar with this universe's rules, could likely make up new ones. Ami had confidence in the sponge. If anyone could save them, he could.

* * *

The robots were making SpongeBob hit himself.

One Ham-mer tickled SpongeBob's armpits, loosening the sponge's grip on his bubble wand, while another Ham-mer grabbed the sponge's arm and made him bonk himself on the head with his wand. The bubble wand didn't hurt because he absorbed physical punches, but his absorption didn't make his hitting himself any less annoying. Because if he was hitting himself, he wasn't hitting the robots.

SpongeBob was being lifted above the robots, too, like he was about to be thrown. Hopefully, the goo wasn't part of the equation.

Mr. Krabs was coming to help him, his peg-like legs blurs as he hurried toward the robots and SpongeBob.

"I'm comin', SpongeBob," Mr. Krabs shouted.

Above, King Jellyfish hovered. Watching.

The Tar-tar Sauce sprayed sauce, smacking the king in the forehead. King Jellyfish reared back, his stingers swiping over the spot where the tartar sauce hit. The Tar-tar Sauce kept spraying. King Jellyfish moved up and opened his mouth, the sauce shooting inside. The sauce slammed into the back of King Jellyfish's mouth, propelling the king like a bullet. The king bounced off a wall and careened forward, sticking out his tongue. A black mark had been burned in his smoking tongue. The tongue's odor wafted to SpongeBob. Smelled like a krabby patty.

Mr. Krabs reached the chaos only to be tickled and made to hit himself, too. A Fodder shocked Mr. Krabs' stomach, and Mr. Krabs pinched his own rump. Mr. Krabs howled, shot into the air, was smashed on the head by a Ham-mer, and fell, eyes blank. Mrs. Puff cried out.

SpongeBob managed to peer above between hitting himself. Smaller jellyfish crowded in the sky, where Usagi and Ami floated. Was No Name with them?

SpongeBob had to not only stop the robots by carving a path to the D1000 that was chugging away on one of the water fountains, but he also had to save Mr. Krabs.

"Your—Highness," SpongeBob called between hits from his bubble wand, "we have to stop these robots. We can defeat them together. And since we've cleared out the robots from the rest of the Fields, then I think you owe us at least your jelly."

King Jellyfish shrugged and then nodded.

"Yay! Once all the robots are gone, we can eat bubble pie together."

King Jellyfish buzzed. "Mm-mmm-mmmmm." Pie was strong motivation for doing anything.

The king pulled out a football helmet from under his bulbous body and placed it over his crown. He charged the Tar-tar Sauce. When the robot shot sauce, the king lowered his head so that the sauce hit the helmet instead, the sauce fanning out and then falling to the ground, melting robots below. The robots were weak against heat. Too bad SpongeBob couldn't use heat vision.

Between hitting himself with his bubble wand, SpongeBob looked around. As quickly as King Jellyfish was destroying the robots, more were taking their place because of the D1000. If only SpongeBob could fly to reach the D1000.

King Jellyfish could fly.

"Your Highness," SpongeBob said between hitting himself, "I know where the robots are coming from, but we'll have to fly to get there." His pants fell off from the robots making him hit himself, leaving him clad in his underwear. "If you can come down here, please, Your Highness, then we can fly there together."

King Jellyfish released a buzz that shook Spork Mountain and then dove toward SpongeBob like a linebacker, swerving past the Tar-tar Sauce's spraying sauce. The king didn't dodge one spurt of tartar sauce, and the sauce smashed the king's helmet, which began to melt, a sizzling noise coming from the helmet. King Jellyfish didn't slow. The king cared for a lowly creature like SpongeBob. Either that, or the king wanted that pie.

"You can do it, Your—" A Fodder shoved its electric wand into SpongeBob's mouth. Black and white lights flashed in his eyes and holes. The robots' laughs filled his ears.

The robots' laughs stopped, and smashing noises echoed. The flashing ceased, letting SpongeBob see. The robots before him were gone, leaving only a handful left, but more were being created. King Jellyfish swept SpongeBob up in his stingers, the king electrocuting himself since the electricity wasn't completely gone from SpongeBob. In unison, King Jellyfish and SpongeBob writhed, like they were line dancing. SpongeBob never imagined he'd be fighting side-by-side with King Jellyfish, much less line dancing with him.

The writhing stopped as quickly as it had begun, and King Jellyfish placed SpongeBob on top of him, rising above the chaos. Usagi and Ami were surrounded by jellyfish. Mrs. Puff stood near the bridge leading to the island where the robots were, wanting to go to Mr. Krabs but afraid she would be electrocuted, too.

The robots surrounded Mr. Krabs.

Panic sliced through SpongeBob. Mr. Krabs couldn't defend himself. Worse, Mrs. Puff was rushing toward the robots, no weapons with her. She couldn't handle the robots.

"Mrs. Puff, no," SpongeBob said. His teacher kept going. A robot met her on the bridge, reached out to electrocute her. She swelled into three times her size, smashing the robot.

"You weren't expecting that, were you?" Mrs. Puff said, her voice low, her words drawn out as they always were when she blew up, as SpongeBob knew well, as often as he crashed during his driving test. So she could blow up at will, not only when she was hurt.

SpongeBob clenched his hand. "All right, Mrs. Puff."

The other robots that had been charging toward her wheeled backward. Mrs. Puff rolled toward Mr. Krabs, the bridge creaking under her weight.

King Jellyfish cleared his throat. SpongeBob snapped to attention. He had been so focused on Mrs. Puff that he had forgotten that he was supposed to be guiding King Jellyfish to the D1000.

SpongeBob bowed. "I apologize, Your Highness." Above, the jellyfish still surrounded Usagi and Ami. But Mrs. Puff didn't know how to fight, so she couldn't defend herself against an assault of robots being created by the D1000 at a rate of one per second. Neither could Mr. Krabs because he was unconscious. SpongeBob had to go after the D1000 first, and then he would help Usagi and Ami.

Unless…

"Your Highness, can you ask the smaller jellyfish to stop attacking my friends?" SpongeBob clapped his hands together. "Please. They're here to save Jellyfish Fields from the robots, too."

King Jellyfish stroked his underside with one of his tentacles as though he was stroking his chin, if he had a chin. "Hmm." He buzzed. The jellyfish stopped, spun toward King Jellyfish. Usagi and Ami sighed collectively, like they had been holding their breath for several minutes.

No Name—no, Friend, the blue jellyfish, pushed his way to the front. Defiant, buzzing loudly. Just like he had been when he helped SpongeBob stop Mr. Krabs from using jellyfish to make jelly.

Didn't seem to want to stop attacking Usagi and Ami.

King Jellyfish buzzed back, louder than Friend. Friend kept buzzing, and King Jellyfish buzzed. They were getting into the jellyfish version of a shouting match. SpongeBob couldn't help but smile. Friend was as brave as he had been when SpongeBob had worked with him to save the jellyfish.

Seeing Mr. Krabs might also have triggered a bad reaction from Friend.

SpongeBob crawled slowly so that he wouldn't fall off King Jellyfish's round head. "Friend, the humans are all right. I promise you, they're trying to help."

Friend breathed like he had over the phone when he'd called SpongeBob. The sponge couldn't blame Friend for not trusting the humans, especially after what one of his fellow sea creatures, Mr. Krabs, had done to the jellyfish.

King Jellyfish lashed out with his stingers. Friend flitted sideways, the stingers whistling past the blue jellyfish. Friend wrapped his own stingers around the king's and then zapped electricity. King Jellyfish danced, the electricity spreading toward SpongeBob, but SpongeBob waved his bubble wand and blew, creating a helmet with mini-jetpacks at its side, and shot upward from the rocket-like momentum created by the mini-jetpacks. SpongeBob blew a bubble net that was twice his size, one that Friend couldn't dodge. He swung the bubble net downward, to Friend. Capturing Friend for the first time, stopping Friend's shocks and, thus, King Jellyfish's dancing. Sweating, King Jellyfish stilled.

Poking his stinger, Friend popped the bubble net.

Maybe SpongeBob should start calling "Friend," "Enemy" instead.

No, SpongeBob couldn't give up on Friend. Friend was being overprotective for the sake of his species.

Below, robots were still being created. SpongeBob had to stop the D1000 before it created more that engulfed Mrs. Puff and Mr. Krabs.

SpongeBob landed on King Jellyfish and then pointed toward the huffing and puffing. King Jellyfish charged toward the D1000.

Friend faced Usagi and Ami. But SpongeBob and King Jellyfish were too close to the D1000 to stop now.

King Jellyfish hovered above the D1000 and thrusted electricity. The world flashed, and two explosions rocked the land, the sea. Pieces of the D1000 and the water fountain shot in all directions. Water gushed everywhere, one jet slamming into King Jellyfish and sending the king and, by extension, SpongeBob, spinning backward.

Right toward the hoard of jellyfish that were attacking Usagi and Ami.

The jellyfish and Guardians were going to be crushed.

SpongeBob hoped they had insurance.

* * *

Electrocution hadn't made for a pleasant last few minutes.

The zapping had stopped for a time under King Jellyfish's command, but the blue jellyfish had fought back. After a brief fight between the king, who led by authority, and the blue jellyfish, who led by respect, all the smaller jellyfish, under command from the blue jellyfish, started shocking Usagi and Ami once King Jellyfish had turned his back to destroy the D1000.

Explosions quaked Usagi.

A ball of pink, King Jellyfish, barreled toward them, knocking over the smaller jellyfish like bowling pins.

King Jellyfish collided with Usagi and Ami.

Usagi felt like she had been smashed by all the trains in Japan.

Her world blackened, and the noise drowned out.

Thanks to her powers as Sailor Moon, she came to quickly. Shouting filled the area, the buzzes of jellyfish mixing with the shouts of Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob.

The smaller jellyfish were lying around her, motionless, near King Jellyfish's tub. Except the blue jellyfish that hovered above and shook a stinger, like a human would shake a fist at a driver that had cut him off. But King Jellyfish ignored the blue jellyfish, floating above the remaining robots, electricity crackling in his stingers.

"Your Highness, wait," SpongeBob said, atop the king. "There are two innocent people down there. If you zap the robots, they'll be hurt, too."

Mr. Krabs, unconscious, and Mrs. Puff remained with the robots, Mrs. Puff rolling toward Mr. Krabs, over several robots. How could steel be crushed by flesh?

Usagi placed her hands on the ground and pushed, arms shaking. Beside her, Ami did the same. They hadn't done anything during this fight but get caught and electrocuted by the jellyfish. Had to do something now, regardless of the pain that threatened to keep them down.

Usagi wouldn't be able to move in time. She shouted, "No, Your Highness. At least save the two innocent fish first."

King Jellyfish grumbled. He swept down, gathered Mrs. Puff and Mr. Krabs in his stingers and then tossed them onto his head, near SpongeBob. Mrs. Puff deflated upon impact. Mr. Krabs released a loud snore that sent ripples across King Jellyfish's bell. The crab had fallen asleep. Even Usagi, who could fall asleep in almost every situation, had never fallen asleep during a battle. Maybe it was a part of getting older.

Floating above the robots, King Jellyfish jolted electricity, causing the robots to explode, the mushroom from the explosion nearing the king. When the smoke cleared, the robots were gone, only a scorch mark that covered the island remaining. Could become an historical landmark, signifying the teamwork of humans, fish, and jellyfish to end the robot takeover.

Mr. Krabs sat up, holding his head. Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob crawled to Mr. Krabs' side, Mrs. Puff cradling his head. SpongeBob cradled his arm. Mrs. Puff shot SpongeBob a look. SpongeBob stopped cradling Mr. Krabs' arm.

The blue jellyfish crossed his stingers. Growling, the blue jellyfish flew into the distance.

SpongeBob reached after the blue jellyfish. "Wait, Friend."

The blue jellyfish kept going, not hesitating. Several jellyfish followed the blue one, but others gathered around King Jellyfish, who turned toward the blue jellyfish and shouted in a series of short buzzes. Hopefully, they could solve their disagreement peacefully. The Fields didn't need any more havoc wrecked upon them.

Mrs. Puff massaged the back of Mr. Krabs' head, the crab's eyes fluttering open. "It's okay, Eugene." She cast a small smile at SpongeBob. "Our favorite fry cook saved us, along with his…" She managed to keep the smile on her face. "…human friends."

"Aye." Mr. Krabs placed his hand on top of Mrs. Puff's hand. "I just want to go home. I'll think later."

King Jellyfish lowered himself near the ground, and Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob helped Mr. Krabs off the jellyfish. SpongeBob guided Mrs. Puff off the jellyfish.

"Thank you, SpongeBob," Mrs. Puff said. "You were such a big help today."

"No problem. Now, I think all this proved that if I can drive a giant jellyfish, then I can drive a boat. Therefore, I believe it's appropriate for me to get my driver's license."

"The world may work in many different ways, Mr. SquarePants, but it doesn't work that way."

"Ah, well. Didn't hurt to ask." SpongeBob stayed on King Jellyfish, waving at Mrs. Puff and Mr. Krabs as King Jellyfish flew him to Spork Mountain.

SpongeBob cupped his hands around his mouth. "I hope you feel better soon, Mr. Krabs. I'll get everyone to sign a card for you."

Mr. Krabs' eyes were shut, forehead creased. "Urgh…"

"I can stop his headache," Usagi said. But her accident with Squidward rang in her head. No, it wouldn't be like that. She would make her power weak enough to heal, not hurt.

"I think that's a good idea," Ami said. "It won't end up like it did with Squidward, right?"

"Right. It can't." They had to trust Usagi and Ami, or else they wouldn't be able to save Bikini Bottom from the robots together, wouldn't be able to rebuild Bikini Bottom together. Usagi floated down, Mrs. Puff gaping. Mr. Krabs kept his eyes closed.

Usagi landed near Mr. Krabs, crouched to his level. "Mr. Krabs, I can heal you."

Mr. Krabs moaned. "Don't touch me. I can heal meself."

Usagi wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Krabs did have healing powers of his own. "I promise I won't hurt you."

Mrs. Puff drew Mr. Krabs closer to her, away from Usagi. "You may have helped defeat the robots, but I won't let you touch him. Don't push your luck with us."

Usagi imagined Mrs. Puff expanding, sending Usagi into oblivion. "Y-you don't have to worry, ma'am. This'll take only a second." She let the smart aleck in her eek out. "Besides, _I_ won't have to touch him. Only my wand does."

Before Mrs. Puff or Mr. Krabs could protest, Usagi put her Moon Kaleidoscope to Mr. Krabs' head, between his eyes. Mrs. Puff stiffened, as if she had been touched.

"Moon Healing Escalation," Usagi whispered. White light trickled out from her Moon Kaleidoscope, surrounded Mr. Krabs. The crab sunk.

"Ooh… Ah, that feels…good."

"Is your headache gone yet, sir?"

"It, it is. I can't believe… Ah, Neptune, feels like me mother's givin' me a hug."

Usagi stopped the energy flow, withdrawing her Moon Kaleidoscope from Mr. Krabs forehead.

A smile spread on Mr. Krabs' face. "I feel loose, like I just…ah…" Mrs. Puff's body reddened. Was she blushing? Usagi averted her eyes to the ground. Well, if the relationship between them was like _that_...

Usagi stood. "I don't have to touch you anymore. I'm glad you're feeling better." She gathered energy and began to fly.

Mrs. Puff grabbed Usagi's boot. "Wait."

Usagi stopped, mouth parted.

She softened. "Touch us anytime."

Usagi nodded, smiling.

Mrs. Puff let her go, and she returned to Spork Mountain.

On Spork Mountain, SpongeBob was saying, "But Your Highness, you have to give us the jelly. You promised."

Ami bowed as Usagi landed beside them. "Yes, please, King Jellyfish. We helped you with the robots."

King Jellyfish buzzed.

SpongeBob's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's right. I forgot." With his bubble wand, he blew out a piece of steaming bubble pie on a plate, a fork floating beside it. "Here you are, Your Highness."

Hearts popped out from King Jellyfish's head. Usagi had no idea that could happen in real life and, based on the expression on Ami's face, neither could her fellow Guardian.

"Mmm-mmmm." King Jellyfish ignored the fork, ignored the plate, grabbed the pie and swiped it into his underside. He rumbled, his bell rippling. Was that a burp?

Humming, King Jellyfish floated behind his shower curtain and then returned with the jar of Jellyfish Jelly. He tossed it into SpongeBob's arms.

"Thank you, Your Highness," SpongeBob said.

"Bzzz." Was King Jellyfish thanking them, too?

The king lowered himself near Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob. It pointed to its head with one of its stingers.

SpongeBob's eyes danced. "Get on?"

"Bzz." The king bobbed his head—a nod.

SpongeBob pumped his fists into the air. "Woohoo!" He jumped onto the king's head, making King Jellyfish bounce up and down. The king growled. SpongeBob then placed a hand on King Jellyfish's head. "I-I'm sorry, Your Highness, if I hurt you." He sang, "Just so excited, can't help but be about it, just so excited…"

He kept singing nonsense lyrics as Usagi and Ami clambered onto the king, Ami more gracefully than Usagi. As the group flew down from Spork Mountain, toward Squidward, Mrs. Puff and Mr. Krabs watched them. And if Usagi's ears weren't failing her thanks to the noise from the fight, she could've sworn she heard Mr. Krabs thank them.

They approached Squidward, who yelped, stepping back.

"It's okay, Squidward," SpongeBob said. "We're all friends now." He raised the jar of jelly. "And we have your cure."

Squidward tensed. King Jellyfish stopped several feet away from Squidward, and Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob climbed off. King Jellyfish raised his crown, saluting them, and then flew back to Spork Mountain, SpongeBob, Usagi, and Ami waving after him.

SpongeBob opened the jar. "How about I rub some on?"

Squidward's face fell. "As appreciative I am of your gesture, no."

To keep herself from seeing something she would never be able to unsee, Usagi turned away as Squidward rubbed the jelly over his stings. Now she wished her hearing had been taken from her so she wouldn't have to hear Squidward's moaning about how good the jelly felt.

"I believe I owe you my thanks." Squidward pulled out a Golden Spatula from his shirt pocket. He shifted from side to side. "I saw a bit of the chaos up there. Looks like you all risked your lives for me. Even though you two humans hardly know me." He smiled—the first time Usagi had seen the octopus smile. "I can't thank you enough."

Usagi's heart lightened. Despite the weird rules and characters, things in Bikini Bottom were going to go well after all.


	8. The Broken Metropolis

**Chapter Eight: The Broken Metropolis**

Setsuna gazed out the window in her study, unable to concentrate on the ten-page essay she had to write for her astronomy university class. Usually, astronomy would be easy to write about; she _was_ the Guardian of Space and Time.

Since the solar eclipse three days ago, disturbances in space and time rocked Setsuna. They had become more frequent during the past few hours, not only because of whoever the Guardians' new enemies were, but also because half of the Sailor Team had disappeared.

There were no clues of what had happened to the rest of the Team. When the other Guardians had first disappeared, Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and even baby Hotaru had felt a sudden emptiness. Their disappearance signaled the end of the Outer Guardians' lives away from the hustle of the world. Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru had to find out what happened to the rest of their Team, but none of them could transform.

Was their no longer being able to transform a sign that they were no longer needed? That it was time for the enemy to triumph?

No, it couldn't be. They had to find a way to find and defeat their enemies, powers or no powers.

It was only a matter of time until the enemy came for Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru and, most worryingly, Hotaru, who was still recovering from being transformed into Mistress 9. Hotaru was aging daily, however. Maybe her rapid aging was associated with her being a Guardian. Soon, Hotaru would be the young woman she was before becoming Mistress 9, perhaps fully awakening her powers. Hotaru did do some extraordinary things sometimes, like reciting poetry, reading volumes of study books, picking up toys telepathically.

For now, though, Setsuna needed to focus on fighting the enemy before they caused any more damage.

Hopefully, she, Haruka, and Michiru could think of some way to stop them. Soon.

* * *

Rei was squished.

Between a large starfish, the six-foot-tall Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa in a taxi that smelled like tuna, thanks to it being driven by a tuna (tuna underwater were as strong-smelling as they were out of cans), Rei was uncomfortable.

Her personal space hadn't been invaded this much in a long time. The deep sea dive suit she was wearing wasn't making things better.

And then there'd been that mishap with her attack, which meant that she possibly wouldn't be able to use her flames against the robots. Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and Patrick would have to do most of the fighting.

She pursed her lips. She was not going to have an easy time in Bikini Bottom.

Patrick lay his face against the window. "Right here, Mr. Taxi," he said, his voice muffled, breath steaming on the glass.

They had arrived in a city. Instead of people—fish—the streets brimmed with robots. Parts of the road had been destroyed, holes remaining. Ahead, a crater with a boat sticking out of the middle was carved in an intersection.

Mechanical laughter echoed throughout the city, coming from the robots that were zapping fish, giving them wedgies and wet willies, slapping "Kick Me" signs on fish's backs, making fish hit themselves. Although her heels had been replaced with boots, Rei could still give the robots kicks up the behind with as much force. Even if the robots didn't feel pain, the fish would be saved.

Police sirens sounded, but instead of police boats driving past, policemen ran around, hitting the robots with their batons, one-handedly, to no effect and cupping their free hands around their mouths, making siren noises. Did police here not have boats to drive?

Globs of hot sauce covered the roads and the sand, smoke emanating. Shards of hot sauce bottles were scattered throughout. The suit Rei was wearing would at least help her traverse the area without feeling the shards.

"Patrick," Rei said, "maybe you should wear a pair of shoes. I think you'll need them." He wore socks, so why not shoes?

"I don't wear shoes," Patrick said. "They don't make shoes for starfish."

Rei stared at him for a moment—they made socks for starfish but not shoes—and then returned her attention to the outside. He was thick in the head, so maybe he was thick in the feet, too.

Chibi-Usa's brow creased. "Why is there hot sauce on the ground?"

Patrick licked his lips. "Mmm, hot sauce. Maybe the robots like it."

"Do robots even eat food?"

"Apparently, they eat hot sauce," Mamoru said, expression stoic. He'd kept his emotions in check, despite all the…happenings around them.

Boat wheels were also lying on the road, the sand, in the hot sauce, in the holes and crater. It looked like the robots had taken apart the boats so that fish couldn't escape.

That deserved two boots up the behind.

Some buildings stretched into the sky while others were squat. The doors to some buildings were shut, intact; others were pocked with holes or missing entirely, the hinges gone.

Chibi-Usa gaped. If the reason for her mouth hanging wasn't justified, then Rei would've teased her about not looking princess-like. She may be 902 years old, but she was still a kid.

The taxi driver cast a wide-eyed look at the group. "Are you sure you want to get out _here_?" The stink of his tuna-smelling breath filled the car. Patrick was lucky that he didn't have a nose. "It's crazy out there."

"Uh-huh." Patrick puffed out his chest, crushing Mamoru and, in turn, Rei against the door. "We're here to save Bikini Bottom, Mr. Taxi."

"You'd better get out fast," the taxi driver said. "Because there's no way I'm staying here more than five seconds."

The driver screeched the boat to a halt. Rei and her friends clambered out, Chibi-Usa falling and rolling; like mother, like daughter. Mamoru picked her up by the arms as the taxi's wheels screeched. Robots and fish swarmed the taxi, the fish wrenching the boat doors open and throwing themselves inside, onto the roof and the hood of the taxi. The robots threw off the tires, smashed the windows, decimated the taxi, smoke surrounding it. When the smoke cleared, the taxi was gone, cinderblocks remaining. The fish, the taxi driver included, flopped on the road like they had been fished out of the water and were trying to breathe.

Before the robots could keep torturing the fish, Rei rushed to the robots and gave several boots up the behind, or where she thought would be the most effective place for the robots to be kicked. Boots weren't as satisfying as heels, but they were more powerful. The robots careened into the sky, the spot where they disappeared twinkling. Being underwater messed up her fire powers, but thank goodness her physical powers hadn't been weakened too.

Chibi-Usa, Mamoru, and Patrick joined her, Mamoru using Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, the beam of light shooting from his hands; Chibi-Usa using Pink Sugar Heart Attack, hearts shooting from her Chibimoon Kaleidoscope; and Patrick using his gut to destroy the robots. Staring was impolite, but Rei couldn't help but watch Patrick. His attack was disgusting yet mesmerizing—Patrick puffed out his stomach, smashing the robots. Maybe he wasn't fat but mostly muscle.

When the robots were cleared, the fish hurriedly thanked them and rushed back into the neighborhood, where SpongeBob's pineapple was. If Rei had learned anything after becoming a Guardian, it was that people moved faster for two reasons: fear and cold.

Patrick rubbed his hands. "Took care of them, guys." He clapped his hands, jumping up and down. "Yay."

Rei panted. Despite being in downtown Bikini Bottom for less than five minutes, she was already tired. From how large downtown looked, they still had a ways to go before they cleared out the robots. The next few hours would be rough.

A female pufferfish met them, fins flapping—a nervous tic? "I'm glad I found you, Patrick. I was about to go to Jellyfish Fields on the off-chance that any running boats were there, because there certainly aren't any left here."

Jellyfish Fields, where Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob had gone. Maybe they would have an easier time than Rei was. Thankfully, Mamoru and Chibi-Usa weren't sweating. Looked like they could go through the entire downtown area and be fine.

The pufferfish eyed Rei, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru, looked them up and down for several seconds. Didn't seem to care that staring was impolite.

Her expression flattened. "Humans, eh?" Of course some fish didn't trust humans. Made sense, since humans ate fish, especially the Japanese.

Pufferfish happened to be Rei's favorite food. Keeping that bit of trivia to herself was paramount. The last thing she and her friends needed were more enemies.

The pufferfish kept staring at them. "Patrick, I need you to find the wheels from the boats. The robots took them all." Her voice was as flat as her facial expression. "If you can return them to me, I'll give you a Golden Spatula as a reward."

"Are there any boats at all, nonrunning included, in this downtown area?" Mamoru said.

The pufferfish shot a glare at Mamoru and then returned her attention to Patrick. "There are a few boats, nonrunning included, still here."

Despite the slight being directed to Mamoru, Chibi-Usa couldn't help but gape again. She had to become better at controlling her emotions, or some fish might take offense. Who knew what kind of powers some fish had?

"We have to evacuate," the pufferfish said. "From the humans, too."

"We're not in cahoots with the robots, ma'am," Rei said. "We're here to help."

The pufferfish grumbled. "Don't trust them, Mr. Star." She turned away. "I'm going to go look for extra boats. I'll return here later, so meet me here with all the wheels you find."

Patrick saluted her. "Okay, lady."

The pufferfish speedwalked away, head high.

"Who was that, anyhow?" Chibi-Usa said.

"Mrs. Big Fat Meanie," Patrick said.

Chibi-Usa turned up her nose. "Suits her."

Mamoru's lips quirked—must've stifled a smirk. "That can't be her real name."

Patrick eyed the sky. "I've also heard her called Mrs. Fat Lady, Mrs. Smuck, Mrs. Puff—"

"The last name sounds right." He faced the broken chain-link fence before them. "We'd better get started. Maybe us having collected all the boats' wheels will help her trust us."

Chibi-Usa placed a finger on her chin. "I wonder what happened to her, to make her hate humans?"

"It's probably not our place to ask." Rei was used to having people pry in her lives, thanks to her father being a politician. She hated when others pried into her own life, and she liked treating others the way she wanted to be treated, so she never asked too much about others' personal lives, at least until she became comfortable with them.

Embedded in the road before the four was an arrow pointing to the left. Did the fish need arrows to tell them where to go? Or were the arrows somehow put here once the robots started to attack, showing a way to an escape route? But the exit was right behind them.

Mamoru picked up a wheel that lay near the fence. "Number one. I wonder how many of these are out here."

"There are lotsa boats around here," Patrick said. "There could be a gajillion."

 _How helpful Patrick is_. Rei shook the thought out of her head. She had to start being a bit more kind toward others. Couldn't help her judgmental nature sometimes, though.

The starfish grinned. "This is gonna be a ton of fun, running around with you guys. This game is already a lot of fun."

Already sweating from the brief fray, her Guardian attacks not working… This was not going to be a fun day for her. She hoped that they could take care of the robots quickly, especially because the Dead Moon Circus was likely wreaking havoc above ground, with only Michiru and the other Outer Guardians to fight back. The Outer Guardians, Luna, Artemis, and Diana didn't know what had happened to them. Their communicators underwater didn't connect to the communicators above ground.

"I guess we should go the way the arrow's pointing," Chibi-Usa said.

"Unless it's a trap," Mamoru said.

"It very well could be," Rei said.

"Arrows are friendly, guys," Patrick said. "They would never lie to us."

Rei wasn't sure whether to respond or not.

"We're all together and all capable of holding our own." Mamoru's gaze lingered on Chibi-Usa. His protective instinct must be flaring up. "Chibi-Usa, stay close to us."

If Usagi had said that, Chibi-Usa would've scoffed and declared that she had turned 902 on Monday, but since Mamoru said that, she stepped closer to him. "Okay, I will. But we'll protect each other."

Mamoru nodded. Rei wasn't sure if she'd have children of her own someday, although being a Guardian would probably make having children difficult, but watching Mamoru and Chibi-Usa unlocked something in Rei—a maternal instinct?

If anything, Rei would adopt. And she didn't need men.

Patrick turned in the opposite direction the arrow was pointing. "Actually, let's go this way first. My senses are tingling."

"What senses are those?" Chibi-Usa said.

"Hero senses. All heroes have them." Patrick patted her shoulder, Chibi-Usa jerking with each pat. "You'll develop it someday, whippersnapper."

Chibi-Usa puffed herself up. "I just turned 902 years old on Monday." Her breath hitched. She scratched the side of her face. "Um…"

Surely, even someone as thick as Patrick would realize that being 902 years old was supernatural. Then again, the Guardians' arrival was supernatural, and SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, and the other fish didn't bat an eye.

"That's nice."

Rei couldn't help but gawk, and Chibi-Usa did too. Mamoru, unexpectedly, also gawked.

"Let's leave that there." Mamoru placed a hand on Chibi-Usa's shoulder before Chibi-Usa could open her mouth again.

Patrick looked around. "Leave what where?"

Rei smiled. Patrick was dense, but he amused her.

The three ran in the direction that Patrick had said, reaching a plaza with a statue of a tuna can in the middle. Out of the tuna can emerged a fish. Should Rei be amused or horrified?

Five sets of Stone Tikis with a Thunder Tiki on top were stacked on buttons that were on the ground, surrounding the statue. The Stone Tikis frowned, looked unbreakable. The Thunder Tikis were red and yellow, electricity crackling around them.

A _boom_ rocked the land, almost made Rei jump, Chibi-Usa and Patrick jumping. Several miles away, in the outskirts of the city, stood a cannon; it had shot a sink—a _sink_ —toward the group. The sink hurtled toward them. Mamoru grabbed Chibi-Usa and Rei by the arms—all that he could hold—and threw them, including himself, to the ground. He must've thought that Patrick would dodge on his own. He couldn't be so stupid that he would stand and watch the sink hurtle toward him.

Patrick stood there, watching the sink hurtle toward him.

"You idiot." Rei scrambled onto her feet, but Mamoru was already rushing to his feet, pushed her back down, knocking the wind out of her. The sink was inches from Patrick; Mamoru couldn't save the starfish.

Patrick held out his hands, and the sink slammed into his arms. He slid backward, creating trenches in the ground. He grit his teeth and held the sink, groaning.

He stopped. Still holding onto the sink.

Patrick threw the sink, and it crashed into one of the Thunder Tikis. The Tiki exploded, the Stone Tikis exploding in turn, like fireworks going off one after the other. The final Stone Tiki exploded, the button on which it stood depressing at the same time. Nothing else happened, though; the rest of the buttons must need to be pressed.

Rei's mouth was hanging open. She closed it.

Mamoru was also gaping. He covered his mouth and coughed several times.

Chibi-Usa kept gaping.

Patrick Star. A classic case of all brawn and little brain. Like Makoto and Haruka, but both of them had a brain.

A smile spread on Rei's face. Didn't seem like things would be as difficult anymore.


	9. Shining Knight

**Chapter Nine: Shining Knight**

Patrick wasn't as useless as Chibi-Usa thought.

Sure, he'd be useless when it came to solving puzzles, but there probably wouldn't be many in a place like Bikini Bottom. Or there could be, Bikini Bottom was so unpredictable.

The cannon shooting sinks was a puzzle in itself.

Patrick had caught that sink like he caught sinks for a living.

The starfish clapped his hands. "I made the Tikis go boom."

Chibi-Usa deflated. Patrick was Patrick.

"We have to get out of here," Mamoru said.

Patrick pouted. "But I wanna keep making the Tikis go boom."

"And what about the buttons, Mamoru?" Chibi-Usa said. "If we press them all…" She put a finger to her chin. "Well, it could be a trap. But I think we should keep pushing them. I mean, the robots had to put those Tikis on top of the buttons, which means that they don't want us to push the buttons or else something bad will happen to the robots."

"Or someone could've put the Tikis on top of the buttons to protect other fish." Mamoru stared at the cannon, stone-faced. Despite his expression, Chibi-Usa could tell that he was chewing on the facts before making a decision. "Okay. Let's keep going with this. But if something happens…"

Chibi-Usa grinned. "You'll keep us all safe no matter what happens. You always do."

A rare smile brightened Mamoru's face. "Yeah. I guess I do."

Chibi-Usa faced Rei. "Tell him, Rei-chan."

"You do, Mamoru-san," Rei said.

"What's a '-san' and '-chan'?" Patrick said. "Does this have something to do with sandwiches and T.V. channels?"

"They're…" Mamoru shook his head, probably deciding that Japanese honorifics would take too long to explain, especially to Patrick. "Never mind." His eyes widened. "Watch out." He wrapped his arms around Chibi-Usa and Rei, threw them to the ground once more. Patrick caught the other sink. He hurled it to one of the Thunder Tikis, the Stone Tikis below it exploding, but not depressing the button.

"Looks like we'll have to press that button ourselves." To Mamoru, Rei said, "Thank you."

Mamoru helped the Guardians onto their feet. "I'll push it."

"No, I will." It was time that Chibi-Usa did things on her own. After all, she was growing up.

"I'll protect you." Patrick produced a thumb from his fingerless hand and jabbed the thumb on his chest. "I have power."

"Please, Mamoru?" Chibi-Usa made her big, sparkling eyes at her father. That usually won him over.

Mamoru bit his lip. "Urgh…" He looked at the cannon, its nozzle retracting in preparation to shook a sink; to Patrick, with his short arms that managed to catch whole sinks; to Chibi-Usa, who was slightly taller than Patrick and wouldn't be protected if the sinks flew over Patrick's head. Chibi-Usa knew her father so well that he must be thinking about all the ways the situation could end horribly. And it took Mamoru a while to trust others. He had been around Patrick for a few hours.

Mamoru was hesitating much longer than usual. Were his doubts that strong?

"Chibi-Usa can handle it, Mamoru-san," Rei said. "Patrick, too." 

Inwardly, Chibi-Usa danced and cheered. Rei was as skeptical of Patrick as Mamoru, but she still vouched for the starfish and Chibi-Usa to work together.

"You're outnumbered, buster." Patrick pointed his finger at Mamoru like a gun.

"It seems I am."

The cannon shot. Mamoru's hands twitched toward Rei and Chibi-Usa. No, Mamoru wouldn't save them this time; not only did he know that Rei and Chibi-Usa could save themselves, but he also was testing Patrick—or, more accurately, Mamoru was testing himself to see if he could trust Patrick.

As expected, Patrick caught the sink, sliding backward and creating a third trench. Aimed at the cannon, threw the sink. The sink didn't go far enough, tumbling on the sand yards away from the cannon. Patrick was strong, but not that strong.

How would they destroy the cannon?

If Chibi-Usa was having these thoughts, then Mamoru must be having these thoughts, likely more, about Patrick's abilities. For now, all Patrick had going for him was his power. Some depth could be lurking under the starfish, though. Mamoru needed to give Patrick more chances.

"Okay." 

Chibi-Usa pushed her ear toward Mamoru. "What was that? I don't think I heard you correctly."

Mamoru gave her his famous stoicism.

"No, I genuinely didn't hear. I'm not trying to be annoying." Between the robots causing chaos and the sink-shooting cannon, Chibi-Usa couldn't hear well.

"I said, 'Okay,'" Mamoru said more loudly. Trying to make himself believe what he had said? 

Chibi-Usa's' heart lifted. Here was her chance to prove herself. "All right. I won't let you guys down."

Patrick clenched his hands. "Me, neither. Besides, for all we know, these buttons could unlock the ninth dimension and unleash the giant monkey man."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing," Rei said.

"I don't think it's possible…?" Chibi-Usa said. A part of her wanted to see the giant monkey man. It'd be a scene from right out of an anime.

"Anything's possible down here," Mamoru said. "I learned that as soon as the squirrel started talking." 

"On the bright side, the buttons could unlock a defense mechanism that this downtown area has in place." Chibi-Usa tapped her chin. "Like, maybe anvils will fall out of the sky and crush all the robots, and then we can focus on leaving Bikini Bottom."

"That'd be a dream," Rei said. "No, this _is_ a dream."

Chibi-Usa squared herself. "I'll press the buttons, Patrick. Keep me safe from the sinks, please."

"Yeah, I will. Even if I do like pressing buttons more."

"Please don't get distracted," Mamoru said. Chibi-Usa didn't blame him for thinking that Patrick was easily distracted. This was _not_ the time to be distracted by anything.

Patrick shook his head. "No, sir, I won't let anything distract me. Not even the buttons. Not even if roast beef and chicken fell out of the sky. Not even if the pizza guy came. Not even if the ice cream truck—"

Mamoru's eyebrow twitched. "Are you sure you will not be distracted?"

Patrick stared into the distance, drooling, mumbling about how good pizza tasted. Mamoru snapped his fingers in front of Patrick's eyes, and Patrick flailed. "I'm awake, I'm awake." The starfish looked around. "Oh, yes, I won't get distracted, Chibi-Usa."

Mamoru gave Chibi-Usa a look that showed how worried he was.

"I'll be fine, Mamoru. Promise."

Mamoru didn't change his expression. Her reassurance hadn't made him feel better. Chibi-Usa was going to prove that she could take care of herself and Patrick, since it seemed like he would be distracted by any food that happened to pop up.

"Patrick, let's go." Chibi-Usa ran toward one of the three undepressed buttons. Two stacks of Tikis remained to be destroyed. A stomp should take care of the buttons.

The cannon launched a sink. Chibi-Usa's stomach flipped in panic, but she made herself keep going instead of hesitating. Hesitation could be fatal. And she had to trust Patrick.

Trusting Patrick paid off; the starfish moved faster than Chibi-Usa anticipated, stepping in front of her within a second. Chibi-Usa moved out from behind him, to one of the buttons, and stomped on it, depressing the button. Meanwhile, Patrick caught the sink, sliding backward a little ways and then throwing the sink to another Thunder Tiki, causing it and the rest of the Tikis to explode. Chibi-Usa kept running toward one of the last two remaining buttons.

Patrick rushed back to her side. Chibi-Usa smiled at him.

A Chomp-Bot, a robot that reminded Chibi-Usa of a dog, with its four legs and stinky breath that was visible as a green cloud, slid before her and breathed. A puff of green smoke emerged from its mouth, hitting Chibi-Usa's torso. And its breath _burned._

Chibi-Usa yelped, recoiling. Using her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope, she whacked the robot's head. The Chomp-Bot stopped for a moment, but it didn't crack. Patrick slammed his gut into the Chomp-Bot. The robot flew into the distance, crashing upon impact with the asphalt.

Chibi-Usa couldn't feel useless. Needing help didn't make her weak. But the fact that she couldn't defeat the Chomp-Bot by herself sunk her fragile confidence. She didn't often defeat enemies alone.

Had to focus. She reached the next button, stomped on it, depressing it, and kept going to the last button with the stack of Tikis on top of it.

Another sink barreled their way. Chibi-Usa didn't give it another thought. Patrick would take care of it.

A Chomp-Bot slid before them, released its foul breath before either of them could defend themselves. The cloud split into two, exploded on Chibi-Usa's torso once more, exploded on Patrick's eyes. Patrick hollered, covering his eyes, his eyebrows burning off. The robot's breath had blinded him so that he couldn't catch the sink.

Mamoru was running, but he wouldn't reach them in time. Rei couldn't use her attacks unless she wanted to burn herself alive.

"Tuxedo La Smoking—" His shout was cut off by a mangled noise coming from his throat. A bark came from Mamoru and Rei's direction; the robots must be getting the upper hand.

Leaving Chibi-Usa against the sink.

Patrick stood beside her; if she dodged, he would be hit.

She wasn't strong enough to tackle Patrick to the ground. If anything, she'd bounce off him and end up injured. Nor was she strong enough to carry Patrick while flying. No way could her seventy-pound body handle his girth.

"Run, Patrick," Chibi-Usa said. "Go sideways."

Patrick scrambled and then fell facefirst.

This was not going well.

Pink Sugar Heart Attack might not be powerful enough to break the sink.

Chibi-Usa did the only thing she could. She covered Patrick with her own body to shield him. Shut her eyes, preparing for impact.

She likely wouldn't wake up for a few days after this.

A light encompassed her. Chibi-Usa's eyes shot open.

A white horse with great wings floated before her. It jabbed its unicorn, smashing the sink. Its wings flapped once. All Chibi-Usa could see was its wings.

Helios.

Chibi-Usa didn't breathe.

Her savior turned toward her. Red eyes twinkling.

No thoughts went through Chibi-Usa's head. She could only take in the majestic Helios.

Helios turned, beating his wings, and flew to the last Thunder Tiki. He jabbed his unicorn, making all the Tikis explode in succession. Despite the explosion, Helios didn't flinch, nor did he appear to be harmed.

Helios flew to the cannon, jabbed his unicorn once more. The cannon snapped in half.

Helios turned toward her. "Young maiden…" His voice, soft, caring. Caressing her. Despite being far away from her, his voice carried.

"Helios." Chibi-Usa barely heard herself. "My…" "Hero" didn't describe Chibi-Usa's gratefulness, how much Helios meant to her, despite her knowing him for only a few hours—had just seen him before she had fought against Fisheye, before she had been put back inside her smaller body.

He had sought her, had believed in her and only her—not Sailor Moon—to be the one to save him from his enemies.

She reached for Helios, but the Pegasus dissolved into light, the light fading in the sky.

Chibi-Usa stayed on top of Patrick, staring at the spot where Helios disappeared. Helios had appeared only in Chibi-Usa's dreams, in visions. How had he appeared in real life?

"Aw, I wanted to ride the horsey," Patrick said.

"I thought you couldn't see." Anger crept into Rei's voice; if Patrick could see, why hadn't he saved Chibi-Usa?

"Now I can. That stuff wears off kinda quick."

Chibi-Usa rolled off Patrick, and the starfish stood. Chibi-Usa, on her knees, kept staring at the spot where Helios had disappeared. She dared not stand; she was afraid that she would lose her legs and fall back down.

"Did you see that?" Chibi-Usa's voice was airy.

"I did," Mamoru said.

"Me too," Rei said. "That's the Pegasus you were talking about, Chibi-Usa?" 

Chibi-Usa nodded, not trusting her voice to come out the way it was supposed to. How had Helios known that she had needed his help?

Stiffly, Chibi-Usa ran to the last button and stomped on it. An anvil fell where the cannon had been. A Golden Spatula appeared on top of the tuna fish statue.

"Yippee!" Patrick clambered on top of the statue and dunked the Spatula in his pocket. "I don't know what this'll do, but it's sparkly, so it must be important. Cannonball!" He belly-flopped onto the ground. He grabbed the top of his head and peeled himself onto his feet. "My back feels much better."

Chibi-Usa had barely heard Patrick. Helios… He was her…

 _Who is he?_

Mamoru stepped beside her, knelt to her level. "Chibi-Usa." He placed both hands on her shoulders. "It'll be okay. We'll find out more about Heli—" He coughed, twice, thrice. "Helios," he said, voice hoarse. Chibi-Usa almost giggled at his hoarse voice while talking about a horse, but a coughing fit had taken over, wracking him. He buried his head into the crook of his arm even though his head was in a bowl and turning away wouldn't help anyone. If anything, he was spreading germs to himself. Rei and Patrick rushed to them, Patrick patting Mamoru's back, making Mamoru jerk more than he was. But the patting helped; Mamoru's coughs became less wracking, less frequent, until he stopped. Unfortunately, they didn't have water for Mamoru to drink.

"Is there a fountain around here?" Rei said. "With freshwater."

Patrick looked to the sky. "Hmm… I don't think so. And if there was a fountain, it would have goo, not water. And I don't know if goo is freshwater."

"We have to give him something," Chibi-Usa said.

"Don't worry about me," Mamoru said. "I think something got into my suit, and I breathed it in and started choking on it. Can easily be done when you're in close quarters like these." He took a breath. "I truly hope that there's some way we can get out of these suits soon. But I'm okay now." Straightening, he said, "More importantly, we have to keep going and clear out these robots. I don't think there's anything we can do about Helios. Besides, maybe we'll come across him later."

Was Mamoru lying to keep Rei, Chibi-Usa, and Patrick from worrying about him and using time to find freshwater? She had forgotten about Helios once Mamoru's coughing fit started. Mamoru never coughed like that, and he would say anything so he didn't slow others down, become a burden.

The group kept going anyhow, rushing the opposite way, past where Mrs. Puff had been. Every time Helios popped into Chibi-Usa's mind, she pushed him out. She had to concentrate on the here and now, not on something that already happened.

In her dream, Helios had given her a bell so that she could call him whenever needed. She still had it stashed in her suit. Had it rung while she was running to the buttons or when she had flopped down on Patrick? She hadn't heard it.

Maybe Helios sensed that she had been in trouble. Yes, she _had_ to be his maiden. She had to be needed.

No, no. She had to focus. The downtown area was too dangerous for her not to, and she didn't want anyone picking up her slack.

Chibi-Usa stomped on another button, and a gate retracted into the ground. The group rushed past the gate, where a thin fish stood outside of a building. Why wasn't he hiding inside? Had robots invaded the buildings, too?

She was about to ask when a G-Love, the UFO-like robots that the group had encountered in Bikini Bottom's residential area, flew from between two alleyways, holding a boat's wheel. A second G-Love holding another boat's wheel approached from the other side of the building in front of which the fish stood. The first G-Love used one of its multiple hands to tap the fish's shoulder. The fish turned around. The other G-Love flew near the fish, spinning, outstretching its hands. The first spun, slapping the fish to the other G-Love, the second G-Love slapping the fish back to the first one. The pattern continued like they were playing ping-pong.

An anvil fell from above, crushing the first G-Love. Chibi-Usa looked up. Even in Bikini Bottom, anvils couldn't appear from nowhere. On top of the building in front of which the fish had stood, Gary stood near the edge. The snail meowed and then drew back.

How had that snail gotten on top of the building? And how had that snail gotten here faster than Chibi-Usa and the rest of her friends?

She shook her head of the thought. She had learned not to overthink things that happened in Bikini Bottom as soon as she saw the sponge with legs.

Only one G-Love was left. The fish had fallen on the ground and was scurrying to escape.

"I got this." Patrick hurried to the robot and then belly-flopped on top of it, smashing the robot, pieces of it flying in all directions. One of its hands that had broken off smacked Chibi-Usa's forehead. Stars flashed in her vision. A combination of mini-starfish and mini-robots sambaed before her. She tried to touch them, to crush the mini-robots in her hands, but her hand passed through them.

Patrick took the wheels the G-Love left behind, stashing them in his pocket, his pants not expanding with the shape of the wheels at all. Chibi-Usa wasn't going to think about how that worked, why physics didn't exist in Bikini Bottom.

"Did anyone else see that snail on top of the building?" Rei said.

Chibi-Usa raised a finger, staggering. "I did." Her voice was wobbly. That hand had hurt much more than it should have. Why hadn't Helios protected her from the hand?

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Mamoru said.

She shook her head to clear the clouds from her mind. She hurried to the fish, who had picked himself off the ground. "Are you okay, sir?"

The fish blubbered for a moment before managing to get out, "No. That thing hit me in my obadigamen."

Chibi-Usa wasn't going to ask.

"Anyhow," Mamoru said, looking up, "that snail looked like SpongeBob's."

"Gary?" Patrick cast his gaze to the building, too. "Great. We can use him as a comrade in our fight against the ninth dimension."

Rei glared. "Why do you keep bringing up the ninth dimension?"

"Because that's where we'll find the evil Monkey Man."

She sighed. "I'm not going to ask."

As the group continued through the downtown area, defeating robots, dodging hot sauce (it burned to the touch, Chibi-Usa finding out because of her daydreaming about Helios), Helios came to the forefront of her mind, his white fur illuminated in the moonlight.

He had called her his maiden.

Chibi-Usa was needed.

But what could she do?

All she did was dream.

If only she could fall asleep now and dream of Helios, who needed her. Who she needed, if only because she wanted to be needed.

Was her neediness the only reason she wanted Helios?

No, it couldn't be. She genuinely liked Helios. She didn't understand why, but he was important to her.

The group took a break near another cannon that shot not only sinks but also leather chairs, their backs to a skyscraper, off of which the sinks and chairs bounced. Who loaded these cannons with sinks and leather chairs, of all things, and did they steal their ammo from people's homes? Chibi-Usa imagined waking up to find her house broken into, the only things gone being her sink, pried out the wall, and her leather chair, not the television or radio.

Helios could help her. No, she could help Helios. If only she was strong enough to save him.

"Chibi-Usa?" Mamoru sat beside her. Rei and Patrick sat a ways away, Rei trying to ignore Patrick by staring intensely at a hole in a building, the starfish chattering about whether the sky was green or blue. Rei wouldn't let herself get caught up in such a nonsensical argument.

Mamoru's eyes were soft. Nonjudgmental. "Thinking about Helios again?"

Chibi-Usa hugged her knees to her chest. "I've been thinking about him since we came down here. I know we have friends above ground, too—Hotaru-chan and the others—but Helios…he's defenseless, Mamoru." She curled her hands. "I, I want to save him. But I don't know how."

"Don't underestimate yourself, Chibi-Usa. Think about what you've done today, using your wits and power to defeat the robots. You've always had it in you."

Chibi-Usa rested her chin on top of her knees. "But this is different. Helios might not need my brute strength or my wits. He might need something else from me, but I don't know what." She peered up at him. "Do you?"

Mamoru shook his head. "It's something that only you can figure out."

Maybe Mamoru was right. If Chibi-Usa searched inside herself, she could find the answer. Besides, it was time she started figuring things out on her own instead of relying on others for answers.

What if the answer wasn't strong enough to save Helios?

She shook the thought out of her head. She'd figure it out one way or the other. Even if the answer wasn't strong enough, she'd find another answer that was.

"The sky is _blue,_ Patrick, _blue._ "

Chibi-Usa's and Mamoru's heads snapped up. Rei and Patrick shouted at each other about whether the sky was blue or green, both standing, face-to-face.

Rei wasn't as above everything as she liked to think she was.

Chibi-Usa found herself laughing. It felt good to laugh again. Had to remember to laugh no matter her circumstances. No matter Helios' circumstances.

Because she was Helios' savior.


	10. The Big Point

**Chapter Ten: The Big Point**

Mamoru, Rei, Chibi-Usa, and Patrick rested near another cannon, Mamoru and Chibi-Usa sitting, Rei and Patrick standing, arguing about the color of the sky. The group had been fighting through robots almost the entire time they had traversed the downtown area, and their energy was spent, especially since they were clad in heavy deep sea dive suits.

Even though Bikini Bottom baffled Mamoru, he was slowly getting used to it. In Japan, he had fought enemies who used mind-bending, physics-breaking techniques to confuse himself and the Guardians, like the fish and robots in Bikini Bottom.

Despite the weirdness about, his mind was set on Chibi-Usa.

Why had Pegasus, who could be an enemy, come? Mamoru couldn't leave Chibi-Usa's side. If she was alone with Pegasus, who knew what would happen?

To Mamoru, everything and everyone started as an enemy. It took time and, in some cases, like Pegasus' involvement, fighting through life-threatening situations for him to trust others.

Patrick had saved Chibi-Usa, but the starfish was hard to trust, not because of his character, but because he was easily distracted and childlike, not treating the robot situation seriously. Patrick hadn't left Chibi-Usa alone while she fought against the first cannon, but the starfish had a ways to go until Mamoru trusted him completely.

Mamoru looked at the skyscrapers populating the expanse of the city. The group had a while before they had finished traveling through the downtown area.

Did Chibi-Usa have enough stamina to fight through the robots while jumping over gaps, dodging hot sauce, and flying? She had never done anything as strenuous as treading Bikini Bottom. Neither had Usagi and the others, but they were teenagers; they could better withstand physical strain than a child, no matter how much the child in question declared her 902 years of living to everyone who dared believe she was a second younger.

Chibi-Usa had fought well against the first cannon, collaborating with someone she had never worked with before. Someone like Patrick—even more commendable.

No, Mamoru shouldn't have insulted Patrick. He had his shortcomings, but he hadn't shown Mamoru and the Guardians anything but kindness since they arrived.

Chibi-Usa had been unusually silent since she had talked to him about Pegasus. Her eyes focused on nothing. He rubbed her shoulder, and she gave him a flitting smile. Her thoughts were still on Pegasus.

"But flowers can't grow in anything but green grass," Patrick said to Rei. "And that's a fact. So if that's the case, then since flowers are growing in the sky, then that means the sky must be green grass, too."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. Patrick had gone from saying that the sky was green to claiming that the sky was grass. How did the starfish connect things that weren't related?

"No, no, no. Those flowers are clouds." Rei darted her eyes to the ground, frowning. Unsure? Mamoru didn't blame her. This world was so different than their own that those clouds might really be flowers.

Patrick was being Patrick, but Rei was wasting energy trying to explain things to him, which might take a lifetime.

Again, with the insults. _Stop it, Mamoru. You're better than this._

He squeezed Chibi-Usa's shoulder and then stood, more to save Rei's sanity than for anything else. "We should get going. The others might have made much more progress than us by now, and we don't want to keep them waiting and worry them."

Holding Chibi-Usa's hand, Mamoru guided her to her feet. Chibi-Usa said, "It's okay. I can stand by myself," but she allowed herself to be helped. Despite her claims that she was an independent woman, her recent efforts to stop getting Mamoru's help, she loved and would never stop loving Mamoru's attention.

Rei swiveled away from Patrick, toward the cannon. "Right. We can't let these robots destroy Bikini Bottom any more." She clenched her hands. "I wish I could use my attacks."

"Maybe you could take your gloves off," Chibi-Usa said.

Rei's brow furrowed. The deep sea dive suits included gloves; if she took them off, her hands would be exposed.

"Her hands might be crushed because of the pressure," Mamoru said. "We may have many powers, but we're not superhuman. We might not be able to survive pressure from the sea."

Rei stared at her hands. Considering.

"Rei, I really don't think we should try it."

"I'll do it for just a second."

Before Mamoru could say that her frustration was controlling her thoughts and actions, Rei slipped off one of her gloves, leaving only her red gloves from her Guardian uniform on. The group watched her hand, waiting for it to compress like an accordion or worse.

"Nothing's happening." A smile grew on Rei's face. "I don't feel any pain. My hand's all right." She aimed her hand at the cannon. "Akuryo Taisan!" A ball of flame shot out of her hand. The flame engulfed and reddened the cannon, steam rising. The cannon exploded. Flame-covered shards showered the ground, bashing several robots, the robots wheeling in circles, their screens that served as their eyes becoming fuzzy like televisions without reception.

Rei grinned, baring her teeth. A chill pierced Mamoru. "Yes," she whispered, sliding her glove on. "I don't want the pressure to get to it anyhow. I'll give it a rest whenever we're not fighting. Which will work as long as we're not ambushed, but I can quickly take my glove off if needed."

Easy to say, but what would happen in the heat of the moment? Rei had gotten through downtown Bikini Bottom fine so far, but…

Mamoru suppressed a sigh.

At least the cannon was gone. They pressed forward, running past the bank with a gaping hole in its side. No robots roamed inside, having moved on to something else to destroy.

Patrick pointed to a needle-shaped building past a chain-link fence. "There's the Sea Needle." He tapped his chin. "If I sat on the top of it, would I put a hole in my butt?" Rei curled her lips inward; she badly wanted to respond but didn't (knowing Rei, she would tell Patrick to sit up there and see).

The building looked like the Space Needle in the United States that Mamoru had seen pictures of. Amazing how many things in Bikini Bottom reminded Mamoru of the world above ground, like the boats resembling cars, the roads, the neighborhoods, the city. In Bikini Bottom, reality was grounded in strangeness. "We should clear that building of robots, too."

"Meow."

The group turned toward the meow. Gary slid to them from an alleyway. The snail had made it down the top of the building from which he had crushed one of the G-Loves.

"Hi, Gary." Patrick crouched and stroked Gary's shell. Gary probably couldn't feel Patrick's strokes, but the sentiment was there.

"Meow, meow."

"We've still got a long way to go?"

"Meow."

"Look up." Patrick looked at the sky he believed was grass.

"Meow."

"Look down." Patrick looked at the ground.

" _Meow._ "

Patrick looked to the skyscrapers, the gaps between them, leading to another building with its window open. "We have to get in there to get to the rooftops, which leads to the lighthouse."

"Meow, meow, meow."

"And at the lighthouse is where a bunch of robots are, and they're keeping the rest of the wheels for the boats." Patrick heaved, steam puffing out his nostrils, into Chibi-Usa's face. Chibi-Usa's eyes watered, and the Guardian fanned her nose with her hand. Either her politeness kept her from saying anything about Patrick's breath, or his breath had rendered her unable to talk.

"We'd better get up there, then," Rei said. "Maybe we could fly inside that building."

"Meow."

"Robots on top of the buildings too, buddy?" Patrick said.

"Never mind," Rei said. "We'll have to take the long way to clear those robots out."

"Meow, meow."

"Big gaps, so we should get Sandy to help us?" Patrick rubbed the inside of his ear. "But we don't have Sandy. She went to Goo Lagoon because she can swim." 

"We can fly," Mamoru said. "It'll take quite a bit of energy, but we'll be able to make it."

"Meow."

Patrick waved at Gary. "Thanks, Gary. Good luck to you, too."

Mamoru faced the Sea Needle. "We'd better take care of the robots in there first."

The group ran toward the Sea Needle. Wires hung from the hole-pocked disc in the middle of the building. At the bottom of the building looped another maw of a disc, with windows at intervals.

"The robots did a number here," Chibi-Usa said.

Creaking noises emanated from the building, becoming louder as the group approached and then entered the dim lobby, most of the lightbulbs shattered, debris littering the floor. Wires hung from the lobby's holey ceiling, sparks of electricity crackling around the wires. Wind whistled through the empty lobby.

"I guess we should go upstairs." Mamoru pressed the button on the elevator ahead of them, not trusting the stairs. It opened. "Hm. It still works." The group stepped inside. They could go only to the top floor; the other buttons had been peeled off.

Once they reached the top floor, the group stepped off the elevator. The top floor looked similar to the lobby, except several hallways branched off from the circular floor, the doors leading to those hallways closed, only one door open.

A red crab wearing a collared shirt stood next to the open door. He looked Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and Rei up and down, his gaze penetrating. Like Mrs. Puff, the crab must not like humans.

"I assume these are some of the humans I've been hearin' about," the crab said, his voice like the pirates' voices Mamoru's mother and father imitated when they read him bedtime stories as a child. "Be careful of them, Patrick."

Patrick bowed to the crab. "Yes, sir, Mr. Krabs. I will."

"I don't think you understand."

"Understand what?"

"I'll explain later." Mr. Krabs turned toward the open door. "The more immediate matter is that robots have broken the Sea Needle."

"How do we fix it?" Chibi-Usa said.

Mr. Krabs' eyes shot to Chibi-Usa. "Aren't ya adorable?" he said, unsmiling. "Reminding me of Pearl when she was a little girl." He coughed. "Probably a trick to get me to like you."

Chibi-Usa cocked her head. "Uh, what?"

"You know very well what I speak of."

"No, I don't."

"I won't let your genuine innocence get the better of me. Be very careful of the girl with that strange pink hair, Patrick. I can tell she's more dangerous than the rest, using her young age and cuteness to deceive people." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, back to the task at hand. There are Floating Tikis outside the Sea Needle, and those Tikis are just waiting to be broken so fish like me can grab their Shiny Objects." 

Gesturing toward the Guardians, Mamoru said, "Rei, Chibi-Usa, and I can fly. We'll get the Shiny Objects for you, sir." And destroy robots in the process. They had to explore the Sea Needle anyhow. Might as well prove their trustworthiness to a crab while they were at it. Besides, Mr. Krabs could help them in the future.

Mr. Krabs' began to salivate. "Money…money…money…" He licked his lips. "Sounds good to me. Go right ahead. I'll be waitin' for ya here."

Mamoru exchanged raised eyebrows with Rei. Seemed like the crab forgot about his distrust of humans once the humans promised to give him money.

The group ran through the open door, into the hallway, at the end of which was a gaping hole. A bungee hook descended from who-knew-where? Mamoru peered outside. The cord hung from the building itself, anchored to the roof. Maybe bungee-jumping was one of the Sea Needle's attractions.

Nevertheless, they didn't need to bungee jump. Mamoru could fly outside and annihilate all the Tikis at once with Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber.

Mamoru aimed his hand at the Tikis. "Tuxedo La Smoking—"

A force from behind shoved him into the air, cutting off his attack and replacing it with a warbled scream.

"What did you do that for, Patrick?" Chibi-Usa said as Rei yelled, "You idiot."

"He didn't look like he knew how to use the bungee hook, so I was helping him out."

Before Mamoru could channel energy to fly, the back of his deep sea dive suit caught on the bungee hook. He scrambled to unhook himself, but the hook was in the middle of his back, out of his reach.

The bungee cord propelled him forward, slamming him into the Tikis. Rabbits that looked like Usagi and Chibi-Usa pranced in his vision, pieces of Tikis flying around him. Thankfully, Mamoru wasn't prone to shouting out, otherwise he might say something that would steal Chibi-Usa's innocence.

Mamoru bounced up, toward the window, Rei and Chibi-Usa standing near the windowsill.

"Grab him!" Chibi-Usa said.

"Why?" Patrick said.

"Do you need an explanation?"

"Yes."

"Chibi-Usa, I'll grab Mamoru-san. You grab me, and we'll pull."

Grunts from behind Mamoru.

"Curse my short legs…!" Chibi-Usa said.

"I can't reach," Rei growled.

The rabbits prancing in Mamoru's vision saluted Mamoru and then faded. "Don't worry. I'll make the best of this." He grit his teeth, jerking himself, stretching the bungee cord and propelling himself downward. He braced himself and then crashed into several other Tikis. Only one remained.

A robot with concave eyes that jutted outward, its body like a blimp's, flew before Mamoru and then swerved backward as Mamoru jetted past the robot, afraid of being smashed by Mamoru's momentum. The robot, Chuck, laughed, taking out a missile with one of its hands.

Mamoru tried to aim his hand at the robot, but the bouncing caused his hand to wobble. If the bouncing kept up, he would shoot at air.

He began his upward trajectory. Surely, Rei and Chibi-Usa were preparing to attack, but he must keep getting in the way.

"Ah, Patrick!" Chibi-Usa.

"Don't!" Rei.

Their shouts could not bode well for Mamoru.

A Stone Tiki shrieked over Mamoru's head, smashing the Chuck, a piece of the robot spiraling into and destroying the last Floating Tiki. Shiny Objects rained to the ground. Mr. Krabs would have to pick up the Shiny Objects before others did.

"He, he actually did it," Chibi-Usa breathed.

"It was easy," Patrick said. "All you do is throw."

Now Mamoru had to figure out how to release himself from the bungee hook. He truly needed help now; he could rip off his deep sea dive suit if he tried unhooking himself.

"Wait, everyone, until I'm still." Mamoru bounced up and down, up and down, his vision clouding. Good thing his stomach was strong.

Once Mamoru stilled enough for the others to grab him, Rei grabbed Mamoru's waist. Chibi-Usa wrapped her arms around Rei's waist, and Patrick wrapped his arms around Chibi-Usa's waist. All three pulled Mamoru to the surface, Rei unhooking Mamoru.

The thing was, Mamoru wasn't done. Several Tikis remained in the other areas of the Sea Needle. Unless one of the others wanted to do it.

Patrick raised his hand. "That looked fun. I wanna play next."

Mamoru had no argument for the starfish. Patrick was surprisingly competent in combat. His reflexes were excellent, his aim deadly. His mind made everything simple, which worked to his advantage. Mamoru had no complaints, and neither did Rei or Chibi-Usa.

After battling through robots, the group reached the next window. Mamoru hooked the bungee cord into Patrick's shorts. Patrick jumped, saying "Whee!" even as he came into violent contact with the Tikis, seemingly unaffected by the pain. No robots attacked Patrick, but the starfish pointed at robots that stood and floated atop another building.

"There are robots on the rooftop over there." He pounded his fist into the palm of his hand. "We should break `em."

Mamoru stepped to the windowsill. "I can fly out and defeat them." A blast of Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber would do it.

"I can do it, Mamoru-san," Rei said. "You've been through a lot already."

She wasn't lying. But Mamoru wasn't going to put her in harm's way because he was tired. "You've been through a lot yourself, fighting without your powers earlier." The effects of their fighting showed through Rei's flushed cheeks, her heavier breathing. In the Sea Needle, Rei had kicked the robots, the heat of battle not giving her the opportunity to take her gloves off to attack with flames.

"I can handle it. Don't worry about me." The same thing Mamoru had said when that coughing fit had overcome him. What had that been? Something had been coming up when he was coughing, dark and sticky, metallic-tasting like blood, but he had swallowed the substance back down. If Rei, Chibi-Usa, or Patrick had seen the substance, then they wouldn't let him fight, and he'd become a burden.

"You don't have to worry about me, either," Rei said. "Please, Mamoru-san, let me handle this. It won't take long."

Mamoru tried to run a hand through his hair but touched his helmet instead. "All right. Good luck, Rei. I know you can do it."

Rei jumped out, swerving past the bungee cord, Patrick spiraling upward on the rebound. A sudden wind jerked Patrick's head into Rei's stomach, and she veered off-course. A Chuck flew off the rooftop and hurled a missile toward her. Mamoru aimed at the Chuck, shot Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, only for another gust to toss Patrick into the white beam. Patrick flashed so that his bones were visible, like he was being x-rayed. Chibi-Usa gasped, and Mamoru winced.

"That has to hurt very badly," Chibi-Usa said.

Chibi-Usa's mouth wasn't helping. If Mamoru wasn't focused on the battle, he would've told her to hush and spend the energy she used on talking toward thinking of a solution instead—in gentler terms, of course.

The Chuck cackled, the missile exploding on Rei, water bursting.

Water-filled missiles couldn't be _that_ dangerous…

…until the water careened Rei into the Sea Needle's wall outside. She remained, spread-eagled, and then peeled off the wall, barreling toward the ground.

Amazingly, Rei had remained silent throughout the abuse.

Mamoru flew out. Chibi-Usa joined him.

"No, Chibi-Usa. Stay inside."

"I won't. I'll protect you while you rescue Rei."

Mamoru's eyes softened. He had been underestimating Chibi-Usa. He wanted to protect her, but she could protect herself, too. He nodded. "All right. You can do this, Chibi-Usa, just like you did with those sinks." And if not, hopefully Pegasus would come to her rescue again. Pegasus seemed to not want anything to happen to her until she fulfilled whatever purpose he had in mind.

Mamoru spread his arms. Rei made no sound; the blow must've knocked her unconscious. The Chuck whizzed before him, raising a missile, only to be putted in the face by a train of hearts. Mamoru smiled at Chibi-Usa. She'd protected her father, a queenly thing to do.

Rei landed in Mamoru's arms, Mamoru staggering in midair due to the sudden weight. He carried Rei upward, Patrick beginning his downward trajectory once more, smashing the last of the Tikis, the pieces bouncing off Mamoru's suit, one piece clonking Rei's head. Rei started, snapping her head in all directions, looked at Mamoru with glazed over eyes, yelped, swung a fist toward his crotch. Mamoru caught the fist.

"It's me. Hi."

"Oh. H-hi." Rei's cheeks became scarlet. "I'm sorry, Mamoru-san." She tapped her fingers. "That was something that my father's bodyguards taught me to do if I was ever…unexpectedly touched by a man."

"That's okay. My father always taught me to defend that part of my body since it's the one women try to attack most often. Next time, smash the nose. Men don't expect that, and it incapacitates them for a few moments. But your sudden vitality at least lets me know that you're feeling okay."

The Chuck, recovered from Pink Sugar Heart Attack, flipped in midair as though it was trying to clear its head of the attack. It aimed another missile. More hearts flew its way, but it dodged, expecting them. But it didn't expect Patrick, who smacked its underside, breaking it into pieces like the Tikis before it.

A Chomp-Bot and a G-Love stood and floated, respectively, on the rooftop. Patrick launched toward the robots. The G-Love started, the moment costing the robot its life; Patrick smashed it.

A Chomp-Bot huffed its breath into Patrick's mouth.

"Aww, too bad I can't smell it," Patrick said. "I bet it smells like chicken because it sure tastes like it."

Chibi-Usa scrunched her face. "It doesn't. Trust me."

As he swung toward the robot, Patrick thrust a fist, breaking the Chomp-Bot. Thanks to Patrick, all the robots from the rooftop had been destroyed.

With help from Mamoru, Rei, and Chibi-Usa, Patrick stepped onto the surface, unhooking himself from the bungee cord.

"I think that's all of them," Mamoru said. "Just to be sure, let's look around one more time."

The four searched the Sea Needle, the Guardians and Mamoru flying over the areas where the floor had been blasted away, jet-propelled square platforms in the floor's stead, Mamoru carrying Patrick. For a starfish, Patrick weighed as much as a bag of bricks. Patrick laughed as Mamoru carried him, enjoying the flight. Mamoru's heart warmed. His power was bringing joy to someone else, which usually didn't happen.

After finishing their search, they returned to Mr. Krabs.

"We've broken all—" Rei said. Mr. Krabs sprinted to the elevator, pressed the button, salivating, his pupils dilated, sweat cascading down his forehead, chanting, "Moneymoneymoneymoney…"

"Don't we win a prize for breaking all the Tikis, Mr. Krabs?" Patrick said.

Chanting, Mr. Krabs tossed a Golden Spatula from his pocket, which Mamoru caught. He frowned at the Spatula.

Rei placed a hand on her hip. "I hope these come in handy. It seems like these are all we're being rewarded with."

"Some folks won't let you past certain places without them," Patrick said. "They might help in other ways, too. King Neptune had a Golden Spatula stuck in a museum, and SpongeBob pulled it out once and summoned him. I'm surprised that there are so many Golden Spatulas around and that King Neptune hasn't come to help us, with how many we have now. I thought the Golden Spatula in the museum was the only one."

"Who is this King Neptune?" Chibi-Usa said. "And is he nice?"

"He's a god who took SpongeBob and I to his Poseidome once. He likes to use lightning. He's nice as long as you don't make him mad."

"This place has its own gods?" Rei said. "Are there any others?"

"Nope, just him. We don't see him unless we make him mad somehow. But SpongeBob and I have only seen him twice, and we helped him the second time by getting his lost crown back."

Despite his quirks, Patrick knew what he was talking about sometimes. The starfish had been a great help to them today, regardless of his pushing Mamoru out the window. Patrick was not the enemy. His unintentional cruelty was because of his limited intelligence.

"I'm not sure we could've gotten through this without you, Patrick." Mamoru's smile broadened. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Chibi-Usa said. "I'm glad we have you on our team."

"Eh, I suppose," Rei muttered. Understandably doubting him.

Patrick grinned. "I'm glad we have me on my team, too."

Mamoru looked to the rooftops. Their next destination.

He was glad the starfish was a big help, but he was not glad about the pain that his muscles were about to endure carrying him.


	11. For the Sake of the Television

**Chapter Eleven: For the Sake of the Television**

The four walked out of the Sea Needle, Patrick's head swimming from bungee jumping. He should bungee jump more often, it was so fun. Why hadn't Mamoru liked it, and why had Rei and Chibi-Usa told him not to push Mamoru? He was helping.

Throwing the sinks at the cannon had been fun, too, like playing a game of darts. Hopefully, Patrick would get more chances to throw things.

The humans worried too much about nothing. Everything was simple; simple was everything—Patrick's life motto. He had told SpongeBob his motto a few times, usually when SpongeBob failed his driving test. SpongeBob would say, "That doesn't make any sense." But if SpongeBob thought about it more, he would realize that it _did_ make sense. When Patrick told Squidward his motto, Squidward said, "You do realize that everything that comes out of your mouth is an oxymoron, right?" Patrick would ask what a moronoxy was, and Squidward would say, "You are." Patrick took it as a compliment because Squidward had strange ways of complimenting others.

Regardless, Patrick was enjoying his time with the humans, fighting the robots alongside them. He loved protecting Chibi-Usa, and watching that cool horsey pop up was awesome. What _was_ that weird-looking horse, anyway? It looked nothing like the seahorses in Bikini Bottom. That horse was one of the few things Patrick didn't understand, and Patrick understood a lot. Like why the sky was green instead of blue; the sky reflected the grass' rays, which he had explained to Rei, but she didn't understand. If she thought logically like Patrick did, she'd understand.

The humans looked peculiar, though, with their hair, their tallness. Rei and Mamoru stood over twice Patrick's height.

Their names were strange, too. What was a Mamoru? Better yet, what was a Chibi-Usa? Even better, what was a Rei? Was a Rei a type of ray, like a sunray or stingray or Manray?

Was Rei related to Manray, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's enemy?

Patrick narrowed his eyes, watching Rei from the corner of his eye. She wore the perfect disguise, pretending to be a hero to gain the humans' trust. Rei hadn't been putting much effort into fighting, anyhow, getting knocked out during the fight in the Sea Needle, not using her fire powers after she found out she could, maybe pretending that she couldn't use her powers to make things harder for Patrick, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa.

Of course someone with Patrick's smarts would only think of Rei being related to Manray. Or she was Manray in disguise. Either or. Because everything was simple and simple was everything.

Patrick lashed out, pulling Rei's hair. Had to get that mask off. Rei hollered.

"What are you doing?" Chibi-Usa said.

Mamoru grabbed Patrick's shoulders, but Patrick shrugged Mamoru off.

"Damn, you're strong." Mamoru grabbed Patrick's arms. "What are you doing now _,_ Patrick?"

"Can't you see? She's obviously related to Manray."

"What's a Manray?" Chibi-Usa said.

White light flashed, and Patrick slammed onto the ground, sliding several feet away. Mamoru stood between Rei and him.

"Patrick," Mamoru said, the palm of his hand facing Patrick—must've used that Bombing Smoker La Tuxedo attack, "I thought I could trust you."

Patrick picked himself off the ground. "Of course you can trust me. That's why I'm saving you from Manray in disguise. She's using a very good disguise, by the way. Her mask is real hard to pull off."

Chibi-Usa massaged Rei's scalp. "Maybe because…it isn't a mask?"

Rei grinded her teeth. "You're being an idiot again."

Keeping his hand aimed at Patrick, Mamoru backed toward Rei and Chibi-Usa. "Stay there. Don't move."

"You didn't say, 'Simon Says.'"

"Simon says!" Mamoru barked. He, Rei, and Chibi-Usa whispered, but Patrick still heard them.

"I can't tell if he's a liability or an ally," Mamoru said.

Chibi-Usa shrugged. "He helped me."

"That's what makes him confusing," Rei said. "One minute, he's helping us. The next, he's pushing us out windows and pulling our hair."

Mamoru sighed. "Just when I was finally starting to trust him."

"What should we do?" Chibi-Usa said.

"Let's give him one more chance. Any more…mishaps, and we'll have to deal with him. Probably trick him and leave him somewhere until SpongeBob or Sandy can talk to him."

Rei crossed her arms. "I say we leave him right now."

"We can't deny that he's been helpful to us. But we'll have to figure things out on our own if he keeps trying to hurt us."

Patrick's eyebrows arched. "But I wasn't trying to hurt you. I was just trying to help."

Mamoru cringed. "Oh. You could hear us." Chibi-Usa's mouth parted.

"Yeah, but I don't really get what you're saying. Except that last part. I was trying to save you guys from Manray, and I may have hurt someone while I was saving you, but that someone is obviously the bad guy." He shot a glare at Rei, who returned his glare and then quickly neutralized her expression. "I mean, look at those evil black eyes that look just like Manray's. That black hair that Manray used his powers to grow on his head. That suit that he put on to look like a human. It's too good of a disguise."

"It's too good of a disguise because it's not a disguise," Rei said.

Patrick opened his mouth.

"Look, we understand that you're genuinely trying to help us," Mamoru said, "but the best way to help us is to talk with us first."

Patrick cocked his head. "Why do that when I could solve the problem in a few seconds? It's a lot simpler to do stuff than to talk. Squidward talks a lot, and it makes things hard to understand."

"Because first of all, I'm not whatever a Manray is," Rei said. "Second of all, talking clears up confusion before you end up hurting someone unnecessarily to save someone else."

"Uh, can you repeat that, please?"

"Talking…stops…people from being confused…before you hurt someone without needing to…to save someone else. Did. You. Understand. That?"

"Yes. I. Did. But. Why. Are. We. Talking. Like. This?"

Rei rubbed her forehead. "I'm done."

"Our teamwork isn't going very well so far," Chibi-Usa said. "And we still have a long way to go until we clear the robots out of Bikini Bottom."

"I hope these are just growing pains." Mamoru leaned onto his right foot. "Chibi-Usa and I have known Rei for a long time, Patrick. She's not a Manray. If she was, she would've had plenty of opportunities to turn against us."

"Are you sure about that?" Patrick said. "She could've been waiting until you let your guard down."

"Trust me, there were plenty of times when our guards were let down. Any villain could've done something to hurt us." He looked toward the skyscrapers. "We've wasted enough time. We should keep going."

The group continued into the downtown area, Patrick watching Rei, Rei keeping her gaze fixed ahead. Strange thing for someone to do, especially someone who allegedly wasn't a villain. A true hero would stare Patrick in the eye, like he had seen in late-night mysteries on T.V. Patrick trusted Mamoru and Chibi-Usa though, so he would wait until Rei did something suspicious to stop her.

Gary was waiting near the building with the open window.

"Hi, Gary," Patrick said. "Do we still have to cross the big gaps?"

"Meow."

"What's that, Gary? You mean that all the robots from the rooftops here have gone to the rooftops through that building right above us?"

Mamoru let out a breath. Patrick didn't know what it meant. These humans did some weird things, weirder than scratching your armpit. On second thought, scratching your armpit wasn't weird. Patrick scratched his almost all the time.

"I'm so glad I don't have to carry—" Mamoru glanced at Patrick and then cleared his throat. "I mean, _fly_ across this set of rooftops."

"You're a helpful little snail." Chibi-Usa stroked Gary's shell. "I don't even know if you can feel this."

Gary closed his eyes, smiling.

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Is he smiling?" She set her jaw. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. A smiling snail is the least weird thing that's happened down here."

Mamoru nodded. What were these humans talking about? They were the weirdest things that had happened to Bikini Bottom, not that many weird things happened here. Seeing the Flying Dutchman was kind of common, and going into other people's dreams was common, too, like SpongeBob had done a few years ago.

"Thanks, Gary," Rei said. "You've been very helpful."

Mamoru wrapped his arms around Patrick's waist. "Okay, Patrick, we're going to fly up here. I'm holding on to you tightly, so don't make any sudden movements."

"Aye, aye, cap'n."

Mamoru jumped, and they flew.

Felt like Patrick's stomach had been replaced with feathers. Patrick found himself grinning. What a feeling. No wonder SpongeBob wanted to fly. Must be how Sandy felt when she flew with her lasso. Patrick had to learn how to fly, too.

Mamoru landed on the circular platform attached to the building, a sign saying "Exit" erect on the next platform, Chibi-Usa and Rei landing beside him. (Rei hadn't landed in front of Mamoru and Chibi-Usa, like a hero would to protect them from possible harm ahead. Strike one. Three strikes, and the fat lady would sit.)

"You first, Chibi-Usa," Rei said. "Mamoru, Patrick, and I will be right behind you." She side-eyed Patrick. "Although I'm not sure how reassuring it is to have Patrick behind you."

Patrick side-eyed her. "I'm not sure how…re..reas… _nice_ it is to have Manray behind you."

Rei narrowed her eyes. "You still haven't told us what a Manray is."

Patrick narrowed his eyes. "Manray wouldn't need to know what a Manray is because a Manray is Manray."

Chibi-Usa looked back and forth between them. Mamoru muttered something that Patrick couldn't hear.

"Uh, yes. I'm just going to go." Chibi-Usa stepped before the window, peered into its darkness, gulped. She crawled through, fading. Rei followed inches behind her. (A hero would go last to protect her from possible harm behind her. Number two, stricken.) Patrick started to go after Rei, but Mamoru spread his arm before the starfish.

"I'd better go next."

"But Manray…!"

"I'll have a better chance at defeating her. My powers are stronger than Manray's."

Patrick's eyes and mouth grew as round as discs. "Oh, I see." He smirked. "You know all about Manray."

"Yes." A quick response. Not suspicious at all. In fact, quick answers were to be expected of heroes.

"Then you know that she already has two strikes. One more, and you're in."

"In…?" Mamoru planted his feet. "Actually, Rei has no strikes. She's done everything I would expect a hero to."

"I don't think so, but I'll keep an eye out, cap'n."

"Don't do anything unless I say to."

"Sure. We need a plan, right? Like they do on T.V."

"Yes. Yes, we do."

"I'm the Barnacle Boy to your Mermaid Man. We will not let evil win."

"No. No, we won't." Mamoru let out another breath. Patrick still didn't know what that meant, but it must mean something good. "I'll go first. A hero always goes first to protect his sidekicks."

"That's true. That's how Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy always did it."

Mamoru blinked. "Are Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy humans?"

"Sure are. Mermaids gave them the ability to breathe underwater and gave them other powers. They may be old and elderly, but they're still the superheroes of Bikini Bottom."

"Mermaids, huh? Those two don't sound…quite human to me. We'll have to meet them sometime." Mamoru crawled into the window. Patrick followed.

"Ooh, scary dark cave."

Mamoru turned, going up like he was climbing a spiral staircase. They kept going, passed through the sunlight, emerging on a rooftop. Rei and Chibi-Usa gazed over the city.

Patrick stepped beside Chibi-Usa. "What'cha lookin' at?"

"The city looks just like Tokyo," Chibi-Usa said.

"Ah, you mean in the human world." Patrick nodded twice, Mamoru standing next to him. "Yes, yes." These humans compared things to their own world a lot, like Sandy did when she missed Texas.

"Hey, Patrick. Just the guy I wanted to see."

Patrick turned around, facing Larry the lobster. Rei, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru spun around at the same time, Chibi-Usa gaping.

"You're huge," she breathed. A blush radiated from her cheeks. "Excuse me. I didn't mean to let that out."

"Of course I'm huge. I lift, bro." Larry flexed his arms, his biceps bulging. "Now I'm even huger."

Chibi-Usa made a face that was like the face Squidward gave Patrick most times Patrick spoke. "I don't know how I feel about that."

Rei took a step back. "Everywhere you go, even in the ocean, men are the same. Even if they're giant lobsters." She flashed a smile at Mamoru. "Except you."

"Thank you?" Mamoru said.

Larry _was_ big. Patrick dwarfed him, and Patrick was a pretty big guy. Larry didn't wear a shirt, only blue shorts, so he boasted his wide chest, the ripples on his stomach. Patrick had muscles, too, but he couldn't see them. He didn't understand why. He lifted as much weight and ate as much as Larry.

"Anyway, I need your guys' help." Larry sized up the humans. "You guys look pretty nimble, so you should be able to help. Besides, I saw you flying earlier, so I know you can definitely replace my old T.V. antenna with a new one. My reception has been terrible lately." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a T.V. antenna that glistened in the sun. Awful T.V. reception was devastating. Could make a good day go bad in a matter of seconds. What would Patrick do without T.V.?

Rei scoffed. "All these robots," she mumbled, "and you're worried about a T.V."

That new antenna looked awesome.

How clear the picture would be… It would be like Patrick could reach out and touch the fish in his favorite T.V. shows. And when he watched "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy," it would be like he was in the show, too. If the antenna wasn't Larry's, Patrick would take the antenna home with him.

"I don't understand," Mamoru said. "What does this have to do with us being able to fly?"

"Because the old antenna is up there." Larry pointed into the distance, where a T.V. antenna that stood atop a skyscraper flapped in the wind.

"Can't you climb down this building," Rei said, "and then go up your building and replace it?"

Larry shook his head. "Robots took over my house. And there are too many robots down there. And they've blocked off my building. I'm not much of a jumper, so I climbed up here like a snail climbing a tree to get away from those robots." He squinted toward the building with the old antenna. "Some of those robots just left my building and went into the lighthouse. I'm not sure what they're up to in there, but it can't be good."

"Good T.V. reception is one of the most important things in life." Patrick clenched his hand. "All right, Larry. We'll replace your antenna." He clapped his hands together. "Can I please come to your house and watch T.V. after I replace it? Pleasepleaseplease?"

"Only if you agree to work out with me."

"I thought we already worked things out with us."

Larry deflated. "I don't think you're thinking what I'm thinking. Anyhow, as a thank-you, the old antenna is yours once you replace it, and a Golden Spatula is waiting for you there. The lighthouse is right next to my home, so you can go right inside the lighthouse once you're finished."

Patrick's eyes lit up. "Ooh, shinier pictures on the box. You've got a deal, Mr. Larry."

Mamoru slowly held out his arms. "We'd…better get going, then." He looked over the expanses of emptiness that led to many broken bones if one fell. "It looks like this'll take a long time." He looked Patrick up and down, perhaps admiring his muscles that were so much like Larry's. "I should've started lifting weights for my new year's resolution."

"Yay, I get to fly." Patrick jumped, spinning as he flew toward Mamoru. Mamoru's pupils contracted. Patrick landed in Mamoru's arms, Mamoru stepping to the right and to the left, trying to stay upright. Patrick grinned in Mamoru's face.

Mamoru frowned at Rei and Chibi-Usa.

"Let's do this as quickly as possible," Rei said. "For your sake, Mamoru-san."

Patrick didn't know what they meant, but he sure was going to enjoy flying.

Rei, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru jumped, flying across the first gap, Chibi-Usa holding up Mamoru's stomach.

"Why are you doing that?" Patrick said.

"Well, uh, heroes support each other. So that's what I'm doing."

"Like Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."

"Uh, sure."

Mamoru, Rei, and Chibi-Usa landed, ran across the rooftop, and then flew once more toward the next.

"Except I'm the Barnacle Boy to Mamoru's Mermaid Man. That doesn't make any sense. Unless you're the other sidekick."

"Yeah…" Chibi-Usa said, drawing out the word. "Sure…" She drew out that word, too.

Patrick narrowed his eyes at Rei once more, or Air Quote Rei as she deserved to be called. Air Quote Rei didn't help Mamoru, like Chibi-Usa and true heroes would. Suspicious. Detective and hero Patrick would figure this out.

Three strikes.

But the fat lady couldn't sit yet because it wasn't the right time. When Ms. Air Rei was distracted, Patrick would attack.

The group landed on another rooftop, defeated some robots, Rei doing her fair share of the work. Not suspicious. But simple was everything, and everything was simple. Ms. Air Quote had done so many suspicious things that she had to be a villain.

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, while heroes of action, bided their time before attacking the villains. Patrick would do the same.

The group landed beside Larry's rooftop, where the old antenna swung in the wind. Robots surrounded the antenna, picking at it.

Mamoru panted, face red.

"Mamoru-san," Rei said, "can you go on?"

"Yeah," Mamoru said immediately.

"But you don't look like you can fight this last group. Chibi-Usa, Patrick, and I can handle it."

Patrick jabbed his hand at Rei. "Dah-ha! I knew it." He circled Rei like a predatory cat. "I thought it was suspicious when you were doing all that stuff before, but now I'm sure of it."

Rei slit her eyes, another villain-like behavior. "Tell me, Patrick, what was I doing?" she said, her voice flat.

"Lots of stuff, like, um…" He looked to the sky because sometimes the clouds were shaped like answers. But he didn't see any clouds that looked like Rei, and Patrick couldn't remember exactly what she did. "Well, lots of bad stuff." He snapped his fingers; he remembered. "Like not carrying Mamoru when he was carrying me except for a few select times."

Chibi-Usa gestured between herself and Rei. "That's because we were taking turns, if you didn't notice."

"No, Chibi-Usa, don't let yourself be brainwashed by this menace to Bikini Bottom. You're young and stupid, so it can be hard to ignore adults."

"Actually, I find it quite easy."

"Exactly." Patrick put a hand on his chest. "That's why you need to listen to me when I tell you that Rei is actually Air Quote Rei, who is actually Manray. See my awesome detective skills, how one thing leads to the next?" He turned up his nose. "I'm just that good."

Rei dipped her head. "Air Quote Rei? Seriously?"

"That's why we need to defeat this menace now. I was going to try to take Manray by surprise, but I wanted you two in the loop, too, which is why I'm letting you know that I'm going to attack Manray in less than five seconds."

"By the planets..." Rei readied herself. All according to plan.

Patrick yanked the antenna from Chibi-Usa, jumped over the robots, landing on top of the rooftop, jammed the antenna in place, jumped back down, toward Rei, raising the antenna. Rei leaped sideways, the old antenna slapping the ground, sparks flying. Without turning, Patrick threw the antenna toward Rei, and Rei dove sideways once more, the antenna falling over the roof.

Patrick gasped. "My antenna." He grit his teeth. "You evil fiend. Because of you, I won't be able to watch real clear guys get hit in the head with real clear coconuts."

"That was your own fault," Rei yelled. A Chomp-Bot leaped to her, blowing its breath in her face. The robots weren't on Patrick's side, but they weren't on Rei's side, either, which meant that he could use them. Rei recoiled, fanning her face, saying something unintelligible. Mamoru wrapped his arms around Patrick's.

"No." Patrick flailed, smacking Mamoru's mouth. "Don't let yourself be brainwashed by this villain. Whatever waves of doom he's using to control you, you must resist."

"You have it wrong, Pat—" Stinky breath mushroomed on Mamoru, and he flinched. The robots had come to Patrick's rescue again, and the starfish wrenched himself from Mamoru's grip. Chibi-Usa slid before him, aiming her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope at him, eyes wide.

Her hands shook. "I don't want to hurt you, Patrick, because you saved me. But if I have to, I will."

Patrick fisted his hips. "You're being brainwashed, too?" Chibi-Usa was much skinnier than Patrick. He could break her in half, but he didn't want to. He didn't even want to break ManRei in half.

"I'll use my weakest attack. That way, I won't hurt you much. But I have to stop you."

The activity around them seemed to stop. The robots were focusing on Mamoru and Rei, leaving only Patrick and Chibi-Usa. A strange fate that Patrick, the sidekick, would be fighting one of the other sidekicks.

"This isn't how things are supposed to go. Heroes are supposed to fight _together_ , not each other. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy never fought each other in any of their episodes. They had fought in real life, when Barnacle Boy became a villain, but they made up afterward." His vision blurred. "Chibi-Usa, will we make up like they will?"

Chibi-Usa's eyes softened. "Of course we will, Patrick. This is all a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, you're the one who's misunderstanding. Somehow, ManRei is brainwashing you, and I'm gonna stop him. Even if I have to fight you to get to him. And the antenna, which you bet I'm gonna get once all this is over."

"Okay…" Chibi-Usa tightened her grip on her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope. "Pink Sugar Heart…" Sweat coursed down her forehead. "Pink Sugar…" She bit her lip.

"ManRei must be taking away your powers."

"No, Patrick, it's not that. I just… Please, use your brain. Um, well, you probably are."

Patrick was the only one in Bikini Bottom, except his parents and other fellow starfish, who had figured out that simple was everything, everything was simple. Yeah, he was using his brilliant brain.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Chibi-Usa." Patrick jumped over Chibi-Usa, turned downward so that his belly faced Rei, who was struggling with Chomp-Bots, keeping them at bay by launching fireballs. But as quickly as she torched one, another took its place, leaving her a prime target for Patrick.

Noticing the shadow that Patrick's impending belly flop was creating, Rei looked up, and her eyes bulged.

"Patrick!" She snapped her head in all directions, but robots surrounded her. She launched a fireball from her hand, destroying several Chomp-Bots. She rushed toward the opening, only for a Chuck rising over the rooftop's surface to pelt a water missile at her. She scurried to a stop. Patrick crushed her. The missile exploded on both of them and the robots, and water filled Patrick's vision. They launched into the air, Patrick wrapping his arms around Rei so that the villain didn't escape. Rei and Patrick slid halfway down a metal chimney, soot covering them, Patrick and the villain squished against each other.

"Hi, ManRei," Patrick said nicely to confuse the villain. If ManRei thought Patrick was on her side, then she'd let her guard down, making her easier to defeat and capture, put in prison for the wrongs she'd committed. The wrongs she'd committed today alone would land her in prison for at least twenty-gajillion years.

Rei's eyes burned like her fireballs.

"Hey, when'd you start using fireballs, anyhow? And how d'you get them to work underwater?"

Rei's mouth was set in a thin line.

"Manray never used fireballs."

"Grace me with your wisdom. Why do you think that is?"

"Hmm…" What a good question. Patrick was hardly ever wrong, with all his smarts and detective skills and the simple fact that if its name was Rei, then Rei was related to Ray, which meant that Ray was related to Manray, which meant that Rei was a villain, and Patrick was the hero, or sidekick, according to Mamoru. Patrick's job was to defeat villains, so Rei was going to be defeated. Since simple was everything, and everything was simple, the answer was clear.

Patrick would've snapped his fingers if his hand wasn't smashed against the chimney's wall. "I know. Because you installed some stuff on your body that lets you use fireballs. Just like Sandy invents weird stuff, you can invent stuff, too." He smiled broadly. "My brilliance astounds even me sometimes."

Rei stared at Patrick, unblinking, staying perfectly still. She stayed still for so long that Patrick wondered if she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. Patrick had done so several times, sometimes snoring. "Do you have some sort of condition?"

She scowled. "No, but I'm wondering if you do." Her hand twitched. "What am I saying? I've been so rude to you, Patrick, and my rudeness isn't getting us anywhere. No matter what you say or how you behave, I shouldn't talk to you rudely.

Patrick wheezed. Breathing was becoming hard with the dust floating everywhere, soot plastered to the walls of the chimney. Probably too dirty for the Dirty Bubble.

"Even though you think I'm a villain, we need to work together so we can get out of this chimney, or we'll both be stuck here for a very long time. And I don't want to be stuck under the Pacific Ocean in a chimney with a starfish for the rest of my eternal life."

"But sometimes heroes need to make sacrifices. I'm willing to sacrifice myself so you stay here and don't hurt anyone."

"I wish you channeled that energy the right way."

"Huh?"

"Never mind." She squinted at the faint light above. Long chimney they were in. "Anyhow, we have to figure out a way to leave. If you want to capture me afterward, fine. But our problem now is getting out of this chimney."

"I agree, Mr. Ray. I'll think of something."

Rei opened her mouth and then closed it. "Yeah. You can think of something, too. We'll think together and see what'll work best. Just talk about any ideas you have."

"So I was thinking that we could use air to get ourselves out, like when you pop a balloon and it goes whoosh and flies all over the place. In fact, I have a balloon in my pocket." Patrick slid his arm down, against the metal chimney wall, withdrawing a deflated balloon from his pocket. Blew into it, inflating it.

Rei's frown deepened. "How can we use this balloon to leave? Unless you're thinking that the force of it'll help us get out."

"Mmm-hm. If we hold onto it, I'll let it go, and it'll blow us outside."

Rei winced. "Sounds painful. Then again, being stuck here is painful in more ways than one." She let out a breath. Why did the humans keep doing that? "I could put some hot air inside with my own powers, and it should float us up gently back outside. Please give it to me."

Patrick held the balloon to his side. "You're the villain. How can I trust you?"

Rei stared at Patrick for so long that Patrick was about to ask if she had heard him when she said, "Because, Patrick. I would've killed you already if I was the villain."

Her voice had something sinister lurking beneath it, like a real villain's. "Are you sure you're not the villain?"

Rei stared at Patrick even longer. She said quietly, "I am sure."

"Were you thinking of a plan to vaporize me during all that time? Because only Plankton is allowed to vaporize me."

Rei snatched the balloon from Patrick, stuck a finger into the opening, gripped Patrick's hand. A red light filled the balloon, and Rei and Patrick floated upward, their bodies scraping against the chimney's walls. Rei placed her hands on the chimney, pushing them toward the light faster.

"Hold onto me, Patrick." Rei tightened her grip on Patrick's hand.

"Yes, ma'am." Patrick held. Such a nice ride, like flying. "Why didn't you use your powers to fly, Mr. Man?"

"I used a lot of my energy flying around these rooftops."

Patrick smiled. So the villain was weak. Prime opportunity to attack. But Patrick's hand was gripping Rei's hand, and they were flying. If he attacked now, they'd both fall.

Rei stopped them above the chaos crowding Larry's rooftop, Chibi-Usa using a bunch of flying hearts to smack the robots off the rooftop, Mamoru using his beam attack to vaporize robots. If Patrick wasn't under contract to be vaporized into dust by Plankton, he'd let himself be vaporized into dust by Mamoru.

Mamoru glanced at them. "Great, you're okay. One of those machines that keeps pumping out robots is on one of the other rooftops. There are so many robots, we can't leave together. Please, go and destroy the machine."

"I see it. We'll take care of it." With her powers, Rei turned them toward the rooftop with the Duplicatotron 1000 standing on it. "My hands are literally full, but I can destroy that machine. I'll have to let go of this balloon, so you'll have to hold on, Patrick."

"Okey-dokey."

A missile exploded, blinding Patrick with water, propelling him and Rei away from the rooftop with the machine on top of it. They collided into a building, Patrick bouncing off and falling. Rei flew below, grabbed him, straining to carry him.

Patrick gawked. "You saved me, Mr. Rei. A villain wouldn't have done that."

"For the past twenty minutes, I've been trying to prove to you that I'm not a villain and never have been and never will be."

"Good. Because I'm not a villain either. Rei."

"Sometimes, you make me think you are. But if our team is going to do well, we have to trust each other, or else the real villains will get the best of us."

Patrick remembered the episodes when Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy didn't work together. They never won any of those fights alone. "I'll help you, then. Let's get `em."

The balloon gone, Rei flew with her own powers toward the D1000. The Chuck whipped before them, blocking their way, and threw another missile.

"Don't dodge it," Patrick said.

Rei hesitated but kept going like the Chuck and the missile weren't there. She _wasn't_ a villain, because a villain wouldn't have kept going; a villain would've dodged.

Patrick caught the missile in one hand and hurled it back at the robot. The missile exploded, destroying the robot, heat and debris searing Patrick.

"You saved me a bit of energy. Thanks. I'm glad I trusted you."

"No problem. I'm glad I trusted you, too, to keep going."

The D1000 shot a black ball toward Rei and Patrick, and the black ball expanded into a G-Love. Rei released a wave of fire, and the robot turned red, melted like wax. The fire reached the D1000, which burned but did not break.

Fire…balls. Patrick could curl himself up like a ball.

"I have an idea," Patrick said. "I'm gonna throw myself into that machine and destroy it because your powers can't."

"Yeah. My fire must be weaker down here thanks to the water." Her jaw dropped. "Wait, you mean you're going to throw yourself into the fire? You can't do that. You'll burn up."

"Yes, I can, because I'll be a fireball."

Rei stared, slack-jawed, at Patrick. She stared at him a lot. "The rules down here will keep you alive?"

"Uh-huh."

Rei pursed her lips. "I hope that's true. But I'll stop the flames now, so you go and throw yourself." She stopped the flames, the D1000 heat-red. Patrick pushed his legs off Rei's stomach, an "Oof!" coming from Rei. He curled himself into a ball. Bowled through the D1000. Shards flew in all directions, the remaining heat from Rei's flames burning Patrick, but he hardly felt the flames. He was too busy worrying about how he'd stop himself from smashing through one of the skyscrapers.

But Rei was there, catching him, her back slamming into the skyscraper, Rei crying out but keeping a steadfast hold on Patrick.

"Hey, you saved me again. And you hurt yourself doing it. Thanks."

Rei smiled. "Anytime, Patrick."

* * *

The antenna replaced, Rei, Patrick, Chibi-Usa, and Mamoru sat near the entrance to the lighthouse, taking a break before they continued, Rei and Patrick sitting beside each other. Patrick held the Golden Spatula that Larry had left near his antenna and a boat's wheel that one of the robots had left behind.

Rei's eyes widened. "Patrick… I'm just now noticing that you have burns all over you. From _my_ flames."

"It's okay." Patrick pounded his chest. "They're scars that will always remind me how we beat the robots together."

"Yes. We're stronger when we work with each other." Her expression thawed. "I couldn't have done it without you, Patrick."

"Me neither, methinks."

She turned toward the lighthouse. "The only place left is this lighthouse." She stared at the lighthouse like she had stared at Patrick so many times.

Patrick slung an arm over her shoulder. "But we'll do it for sure."

"D'aww." Chibi-Usa leaned into Rei. "Yes, we will."

Mamoru put a hand on Patrick's shoulder.

Together like seanut butter and jelly, they would. Because working together was the simplest way to do things. Simple was everything, and everything was simple. So being together was everything.


	12. Lit from Under

**Chapter Twelve: Lit from Under**

Beside Larry's rooftop, the lighthouse stretched. The second-tallest building in Downtown Bikini Bottom, behind the Sea Needle. The lighthouse distinguished Downtown Bikini Bottom from cities above ground. Who needed a lighthouse in the middle of a city that would be lit at night? Apparently, these fish in Bikini Bottom did.

Bikini Bottom wasn't as different from above ground as Rei had once thought. Even Patrick wasn't as different as people above ground; like most people, he had good intentions, but the results didn't always turn out well. The starfish wasn't out to sabotage their efforts, no matter how destructive his "helping" was. And by helping, Rei meant hurting. Badly. Especially herself.

How did the gears inside the starfish's brain turn? If she could take a day to explore his brain, she'd be satisfied.

Nevertheless, the frustrating Patrick was growing on Rei. She no longer felt the desire to stuff him in a box, where he couldn't do any harm.

Speaking of boxes, one stood beside the lighthouse.

"That's a teleport box," Patrick had explained when they had seen the first one near Larry. "If you open one and open the other, then you can jump inside and teleport to each box."

The first thought Rei had had was whether to stuff Patrick inside the box and keep going or not. But Patrick had his uses, like his throwing skills, and his occasional bouts of genius, such as his idea to float through the chimney using the balloon and to break through the D1000 despite Rei's flames engulfing the machine. Besides, trapping a living being into a box because he was annoying was awful.

Patrick stepped toward the lighthouse's door. "We go in through here." Entering a lighthouse through a door. Who knew?

Rei should give the starfish some slack. He was only guiding them since they weren't from Bikini Bottom.

The robots inside the lighthouse were loud, sounding like they were playing tennis with steel balls. Causing chaos. Possibly holding more boat wheels so that the fish couldn't evacuate.

"Is everyone ready?" Mamoru said.

Chibi-Usa tightened her grip on her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope so much that veins protruded from her hands, visible from underneath her gloves. "I am." Although her voice quivered, Chibi-Usa was ready if she said she was. She might feel scared every once in a while, but she pushed through that fear to do what needed to be done. Her stern expression showed how much she tried to act older. Chibi-Usa was 902 on paper, but she behaved like a child. Philosophically, Rei could say that adults were bigger versions of kids. But mental age versus physical age was a topic to ponder over the flames in Hikawa Shrine.

Patrick clapped his hands, jumping up and down. "I wanna play, I wanna play."

Rei scowled. "Patrick, we are _not_ going to play."

"Aww."

Maybe playing equaled fighting in Patrick's mind, but Rei didn't want to risk Patrick not taking the upcoming battle seriously because he had somehow gotten the words "play" and "fight" confused with each other.

"Anyhow, I'm ready, too." Fire crackled within Rei, ready to burst. These robots had caused enough damage. Had almost killed Chibi-Usa using those sinks. Bikini Bottom was much different than Japan, but the fish's nature wasn't much different than human nature. The robots had angered her to the point where she might hurt herself or her friends if she attacked without thinking. When it came to her powers, Rei had taught herself self-control. For the most part.

"So am I." Mamoru walked to the door, placed a hand on its knob that resembled the boats' wheels that the group had found, Mamoru stashing the wheels under crevices in buildings, holes, anyplace where the robots might not find them. Once they defeated the robots in the lighthouse, the four would give those wheels to Mrs. Puff.

Rei's heart battered her chest. She needed to burst. As soon as Mamoru opened that door, it would be like he released a bull from its pen.

Mamoru opened the door.

As expected, robots wheeled, floated, flew everywhere, Ham-mers banging their heads of ham against the walls, Chucks throwing water missiles onto the ceiling, Fodders cheering them on, their mechanical voices echoing throughout the lighthouse. A Duplicatotron 1000 stood across from the four, on the wooden floor, popping out a seemingly infinite number of robots.

Time to pay back these robots for the pain they'd unleashed.

Mamoru outstretched his arm, letting the palm of his hand face the robots. "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" The white beam shot out of his hand, Mamoru sweeping his beam around the lighthouse, blowing the robots and the D1000 apart.

Chibi-Usa blinked. "That was easy. Too easy."

"There might be more robots below," Mamoru said.

"How do we get below, though?"

Creaking sounded under their feet. Rei looked. Cracks formed in the floor.

"I think your question will be answered very quickly, Chibi-Usa," Rei said.

Chibi-Usa drew in a breath. The floor shattered like glass. The group fell through the air, landing on another wooden platform, Patrick busting his behind on a Stone Tiki, yelping. Another D1000 stood on a platform, creating more robots.

Fire burst, surrounding Sailor Mars. The flames were coming out, regardless of friend or foe near her. "Mars…"

"Wow, you exploded in flames." Patrick's eyes twinkled. "I wanna explode, too. Teach me how to explode."

Couldn't let Patrick steal her focus on the robots, or her fire would torpedo everywhere, including on her friends, burning down the lighthouse. "Snake Fire!" From her hand erupted snake-shaped fire, shooting to the D1000. The machine exploded, pieces and debris bouncing off robots.

A Tartar Sauce robot tried to shield itself using its funnel, but Rei's flames shot inside the funnel, reddening its backpack full of tartar sauce, the tartar sauce also reddening. The robot aimed its funnel at the four.

Chibi-Usa gulped. "This might not turn out well."

The Tartar Sauce laughed, shooting the red-hot tartar sauce. The four jumped out of the way, the tartar sauce slopping onto the wall, the floor. Smoke rose from the floor, and the floor began to melt. The four scrambled away from the melting, Mamoru taking Chibi-Usa's arm to help her. Patrick was moving faster than Rei had seen.

The robot kept shooting its sauce, laughing. Relishing the four's plight and Rei's mistake.

The sauce shot toward Patrick. Rei dove for the starfish. The Guardian of Flames could take the attack better than Patrick. No matter what rules Bikini Bottom operated by, even if Patrick could withstand the attack, she couldn't let him get hurt because of her.

Rei was too slow. Patrick wasn't moving fast enough. Realizing he wouldn't be able to get out of the way, Patrick stopped, opened his mouth.

"No, Patrick, that'll make things worse." Her flames would melt his mouth.

"Might as well take this chance to eat something good." Patrick kept his mouth open, moving into place so that the tartar sauce shot into his mouth, sending him flying back. He crashed into the metal wall, bending it. He hollered. "Hot. Hot. Hot."

Was Patrick expecting already hot tartar sauce made hotter by Rei's supernatural flames to be ice cold?

Patrick screamed, "It burns, it _burns._ Tastes good, though."

The Tartar Sauce robot jumped in place, and the floor cracked. Patrick fell onto the floor, breaking it, the group plunging below. Another D1000, more robots.

A Chuck lobbed a missile. The group dodged. Rei reached for Patrick. The starfish rolled onto his back, the missile exploding inches from him, water showering him. He yelped once more.

"Water's not s'posed to hurt."

Patrick had to be more careful. If Rei had to babysit the starfish, so be it. He may be a pain, but he was their pain.

The Stone Tikis from above fell toward the group. Chibi-Usa, who stood underneath the falling Stone Tikis, gasped, leaped sideways, Mamoru tackling and hastening her flight. Mamoru and Chibi-Usa rolled into a human ball. The Tartar Sauce jetted out more sauce, and Mamoru and Chibi-Usa slammed into it, smoke rising from their skin, both yelling.

After making the Tartar Sauce more powerful earlier, Rei would have to be more careful. A more precise attack like Mars Snake Fire might work to their detriment. "Burning Mandala!" A ball of flame appeared in her hand, spread into eight flames in a circle surrounding Mars, shot onto the robots. Rei commanded her flames to stay away from the Tartar Sauce Mamoru and Chibi-Usa were flying toward, a collision between the parties imminent. The robots jumped, another Tartar Sauce breaking into a tap dance.

The floor cracked once more from the robots jumping from Rei's flames. Here came another fall.

The flames surrounded the Chuck's missile. The Chuck holding the missile yowled, threw the missile into the first Tartar Sauce, the Tartar Sauce bursting into flame. Rei's heart plummeted.

Mamoru and Chibi-Usa slammed into the dancing Tartar Sauce, into Rei's flames. She should've waited to attack.

The floor broke, and the group fell once more, onto the fourth level. How many more levels were there?

A D1000 stood on a raised platform. Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and the Tartar Sauce fell in a heap. Patrick landed on his back, jumped onto his feet. Grabbed a Chomp-Bot, which roared rancid breath into his face, but the noseless Patrick was unaffected. He threw the Chomp-Bot into the Tartar Sauce, missing Mamoru and Chibi-Usa, who were twisted inside.

"Nice aim," Rei said.

"Thanks," Patrick said.

The Tartar Sauce broke into pieces, freeing Mamoru and Chibi-Usa. They untangled themselves from each other, but a G-Love smacked their cheeks repeatedly, spittle flying from their mouths, their eyes bulging with each hit.

"Burning Mandala!" Aside from the incident before, Rei's Burning Mandala had worked well, destroying all the robots in one go. This time, several robots dodged, including the G-Love attacking Mamoru and Chibi-Usa. Despite being smacked, Chibi-Usa launched Pink Sugar Heart Attack. The dodging robots, including the G-Love, collided with the hearts, being destroyed. Patrick rushed to another G-Love's side, grabbed two of its hands, hurled it into the D1000. The machine exploded, Mamoru wincing from the heat. After being burned by Rei, the effects of its explosion had to hurt ten times worse than it should've.

Rei looked at Mamoru and Chibi-Usa as the floor creaked, ready to break. Mamoru was sweating, eyes watery, like he was trying to keep himself from crying. On the other hand, Chibi-Usa cried openly, tears coursing down her cheeks.

Rei had caused their pain.

The floor broke, sending the group down. A door was on this floor, at the other end of where the four had landed. They had reached the first floor of the lighthouse.

Two D1000s stood on raised platforms, both producing robots. Under each platform, lightning arced from the platform's bottom to the floor. On one side, the lightning guarded a Golden Spatula, while on the other side, the lighting surrounded a button on the floor.

"Oooh, a button," Patrick said. "I wanna push it."

"Don't try now," Rei said. "You'll hurt yourself."

"Nonsense." Patrick ran to the lightning, reached toward it. "All I have to do is reach through, like this—"

Mamoru tackled Patrick, not only away from a Chomp-Bot, which was trying to tear off a chunk of Patrick's arm, but also from the lightning.

Mamoru climbed onto his feet. "Trust us, you don't want to try." He panted. "We're injured enough as is." He glanced at Rei. She cast her eyes downward.

She'd been the cause of their troubles, not able to control her powers thanks to what some would call passion, but what was anger. When she had first become a Guardian, she'd never hurt one of her friends accidentally. But now, having been a Guardian for over a year, as her attacks grew in power, she'd started hurting her friends.

She no longer wanted to attack. Her fire was gone.

"Keep going, Rei," Mamoru said. "Don't worry about us."

Rei's head snapped up. Of course Mamoru could read her. He'd known her for over a year, too.

"There's nothing to worry about. We're all Guardians, Patrick included. We'll be fine."

Beside Mamoru, Patrick punched away a Chomp-Bot, the robot smashing against a wall. "I'm made of water, so your attack didn't hurt that bad."

Everyone was made of mostly water, but Rei kept her mouth closed. The sentiment was there, and perhaps Patrick truly hadn't gotten badly hurt.

Chibi-Usa ran to Rei's side. "Come on, we'll attack them together. I know you'll protect me like you have so many times before."

Even after hurting Chibi-Usa to the point where she had cried, the small Guardian trusted her. Rei smiled.

Chibi-Usa smiled back. "You look so much more beautiful when you smile, Rei-chan. You should do it more often."

Maybe Rei should. She was mostly serious, frowning to keep people from getting close to her and then abandoning her like her politician father. But Rei had opened up a lot in the past year, thanks to her new friends and fellow Guardians, especially the outgoing Minako. Usagi acted happy and opened up as far as her personal life went, but not as much about being a Guardian. Behind Usagi's smile was a sadness, a reluctance and fear of being a Guardian. She never told her friends how afraid she was and tried to stay strong for everyone's sake.

Maybe Rei could learn from Usagi, that it was okay to open up about your fears. Walling herself off only worried others. Rei was afraid that, by opening up, she would slow her friends down, like she had in the lighthouse. Mamoru noticed her feelings, even though Rei had done her best to keep them hidden behind a wall of stoicism. By opening up, Rei and her friends could help one another get through their internal struggles.

Rei stood tall. Her fire returned.

She lobbed fireballs at the robots. The robots tried to dodge, but Patrick grabbed one Fodder and held it in place, allowing a fireball to burn it. Patrick found the sense to drop the robot before the fire spread to him. Chibi-Moon launched Pink Sugar Heart Attack, smacking the robots with hearts and distracting them long enough for the fireballs to pelt them. Mamoru held out the palm of his hand, shooting Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, the white beam mixing with the flames, creating a reddish-white beam that eradicated the robots upon impact, the robots dissolving.

Rei didn't have to go it alone. She could reveal everything to her friends because they made her stronger.

Only the whirring D1000s remained, about to pump out another round of robots.

Mamoru aimed his beam at one of the D1000s, but not before it released more robots. Thankfully, Mamoru destroyed the D1000. The lightning cage below the platform faded, revealing the Golden Spatula. The Spatula wouldn't help them now; they could get it later. What couldhelp them was the button that the other lightning cage guarded. The only way to end that lightning cage must be by destroying the D1000 on top. Snickering robots surrounded the duplicating machine.

No matter.

Until the robots that the first D1000 had released opened the lighthouse's door. A G-Love hovered to Chibi-Usa, smacked her into the wall. A steering wheel fell from the wall on which it was attached, and the G-Love caught the wheel. Another G-Love entered the lighthouse, carrying the other steering wheels that Rei and her friends had gathered in its umpteen hands.

They'd found the hiding spots.

The G-Love that had smacked Chibi-Usa laughed, Mamoru and Patrick rushing to Chibi-Usa, who slid down the wall until Mamoru caught and cradled Chibi-Usa in his arms, Chibi-Usa laughing like getting hurt was funny.

"I don't think the robots are playing anymore, Chibi-Usa." When had Patrick thought that the robots were playing? When they took over Bikini Bottom, or when they electrocuted Patrick instead of greeting him with a handshake?

Fire raged within Rei. They'd hurt Chibi-Usa to get another steering wheel. These robots were willing to do anything to accomplish their goals. Unforgiveable.

"Burning Mandala!" Fire surrounded Rei, burst in all directions. Despite releasing her fire, Rei wouldn't feel relief until these robots were destroyed once and for all.

Somewhere along the way, Rei had started caring more about what happened to Bikini Bottom, to its citizens.

The robots deflected the flames, the G-Love slapping some of the flames onto the floor, where the flames danced before puttering out. Rei grinded her teeth. She couldn't fail again.

The wheel-carrying robots flew out of the lighthouse, Chomp-Bots, Chucks, and Fodder following. Rei cast a look at Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and Patrick.

Patrick hurried to Rei's side, his eyes brightening. "Ooh, they've started playing my favorite game—tag."

Rei kept her mouth closed. As long as Patrick stopped the robots, it didn't much matter what he thought was happening.

Patrick rushed out the door. Mamoru carried Chibi-Usa, who traced patterns in the air, singing softly. The robots had really gotten Chibi-Usa.

Chibi-Usa slapped herself, clearing her eyes. Rei's breath caught.

Mamoru stiffened. "Chibi…Usa?"

Chibi-Usa jumped out of Mamoru's arms, managing to land on her feet. "I'm here. I live." Crimson flushed her cheeks. "I mean, I'm ready to fight." Her eyes focused on the open door, the robots rushing past a bubble with two legs, arms, and a top hat (the hell?), except a Chomp-Bot, which snapped at the bubble. Patrick punched the Chomp-Bot, breaking it.

"Tag, you're it." Patrick laughed. Hadn't realized how strong he was, which had proven to be both a blessing and a curse.

The bubble swept off its hat. "Thanks, Patrick. You saved my sweet bubbles." The bubble could talk. And the bubble sounded like a grown man.

"It wasn't fair that they didn't tell you that you were a part of the game, too, Bubble Buddy. So I tagged him before he could tag you."

Chibi-Usa tore her stare away from Bubble Buddy, to the robots. "We should go after them."

Mamoru stayed close to Chibi-Usa—wasn't going to let her out of his sight for the rest of her life. "I agree. Chibi-Usa, stay near me. We'll be a team."

"Right," Rei said. "I can go on ahead."

Chibi-Usa beamed. "All right, that sounds good."

An engine roared. Rei's heart dropped to hell.

The robots had found the boats.

* * *

Mamoru stayed near Chibi-Usa. No way was he was letting her out of his sight for the rest of her life. Even after Mamoru died, he wouldn't let his daughter wander freely. He'd keep a tight rein on her from the afterlife.

The roar of the boats' engines made Mamoru step closer to Chibi-Usa. He wasn't letting her, Rei, or Patrick be run over. Rei could take care of herself well, although Mamoru had no problem keeping a tight watch on her, too. Patrick had somehow survived into his adult years, so Mamoru could trust Patrick to keep himself safe, too.

Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and Rei ran outside.

The robots had taken over the boats.

The boats roared past them, causing Patrick to spin in place like a top. Fish ran in all directions, several being chased by the boats, getting hit by the nose of the boats and being sent spiraling into the air. If Mamoru used Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, then other fish might get hurt in addition to destroying the robots and the boats, leaving the fish stranded in the downtown area, at the robots' mercy.

Mamoru squared himself. "Everyone, the only way to defeat the robots is to get inside the boats and then defeat the robots up close. That way, they won't harm anyone else, and the boats will stay in one piece."

"I agree." Rei flexed her fingers. "My own attacks could end up hurting innocent fish. Besides, I'd like to hit them from up close, anyhow."

"I can throw stuff at them." Patrick cupped his cheek. "That wouldn't be a fair way of playing tag, but driving boats isn't fair, either, so it all evens out."

"Good idea," Mamoru said. "Patrick, you have great aim. Hit the robots, though, not the boats themselves. Once the robots are destroyed, we can load the boats with the fish and send them away. Even the robots shouldn't be able to catch up with the boats. Chibi-Usa, Rei, and I can fly. Patrick, I'll carry you and let you pick up things along the way to throw at the robots. We'll get a better vantage point from above, and we'll be able to keep up with the robots."

"Okey-dokey." Patrick saluted Mamoru. "I really feel like your sidekick now."

"I'm ready." Chibi-Usa jumped, hovering in the air. Her eyes grew distant. Was she thinking that her knight, Helios, would save Bikini Bottom? She shook her head, de-clouding her eyes. Mamoru's heart softened. She was trying hard to be a great protector and princess.

Rei and Mamoru jumped, Mamoru carrying Patrick by the shoulders, Patrick carrying a hunk of metal that had broken off a skyscraper and fallen on the pavement.

Sailors Mars and Chibi-Moon, alongside Mamoru, raced through the air, Patrick lifting the hunk of metal like it was a feather. Patrick's tongue lolled out, brow creasing—concentrating on the robots. Patrick was taking the fight seriously so that he didn't harm the fish that were being barreled aside from the robot-driven boats.

A G-Love drove one of its boats, two of its six hands on the wheel, two others feeding itself a fast food meal of fries, a burger, and a soda through an opening on its top, and the last two hands massaging its back, its actions as mesmerizing as its colored pattern. Patrick chucked the hunk of metal, and it smashed through the G-Love, its hands and fast-food meal scattering, the boat skidding into a ditch and then skidding back out like the ditch was a half-pipe ramp. Spinning, the boat flew directly up, peaked, and then began to fall, toward a fish who had screamed about his leg when the robots first took over. Fred froze, gazed up at the falling boat, eyes growing to the size of dinner plates.

"No, not my other leg." Fred cowered.

Mamoru lowered himself to the boat's level, took one hand off Patrick's shoulder and aimed at the boat. "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" The beam slammed into the boat, which faded inside the beam. Fred slowly stood, eyes growing bigger, pieces of the boat falling, one falling on his healthy leg. "Ouch!" He hopped in a circle. "My leg!" At least the damage wasn't as bad as it would've been if the whole boat had fallen on him. Then he might not have a leg to cry about.

Mamoru, Rei, and Chibi-Usa continued forward, Rei and Chibi-Usa several yards ahead of Mamoru. Rei dove into one of the boats driven by a Chuck, Chibi-Usa diving into another. Chibi-Usa launched Pink Sugar Heart Attack, smacking a Chomp-Bot that was driving the boat with its rancid breath—its breath was puffing out onto the wheel, powerful enough to turn the wheel and, thus, control the boat—and the boat swiveled, crashing against walls.

Meanwhile, since Rei's attacks would torch the boat into ashes, the Guardian of Flames kicked the Chuck, propelling the Chuck out of the boat. The robot smashed on the ground, once, twice, three times, pieces of it breaking each time, and then stopped, motionless, electricity crackling around it.

Mamoru neared the ground, and Patrick grabbed another hunk of metal. Mamoru returned to the air, flying near the top of one skyscraper. Five other robots drove boats, fish rushing to get away.

Patrick raised an eyebrow. "Is there a way to split this metal into five pieces?" Before Mamoru could reply, Patrick answered his own question. "Of course there is." He ripped the metal into one piece, threw the piece at one of the boats. The metal bounced off a Chuck, launching it out of the boat, the vehicle spinning out. The metal bounced between the five boats like a pinball, hitting the sides, the backs, the fronts, the tops of the boats repeatedly. After being struck, the hull of one of the boats opened, spilling coins like a pinball machine when the jackpot was hit. Mr. Krabs scurried out from behind a piece of rubble, salivating. He swept the coins into his arm, nestling them.

Mr. Krabs ripped his gaze away from the coins to look at Mamoru and Patrick, who zipped above. "Keep at it, lads. I'll be stayin' to collect the spoils—I mean, clean up any mess the robots leave behind."

Mamoru suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. What if those coins had belonged to someone?

"Aye, aye, sir," Patrick said. "This is so much fun, Mamoru."

Mamoru didn't think so, mainly because carrying Patrick hadn't gotten easier and, in general, he didn't think fighting was fun. Regardless, in a way, this fight was...something. To watch. To participate in.

Mamoru would certainly never forget it.

* * *

Oh, how Patrick enjoyed flying with Mamoru. The world blurred by, but not so fast that he couldn't aim at the robots. He was playing a game of darts, throwing the metal at the robots.

Throwing things at the robots was the most fun Patrick had had in a long time. Since the humans had come, Patrick had been having fun nonstop. Compared to watching guys get hit in the head with coconuts on T.V., flying and throwing things was a blast.

Patrick broke off another piece of metal and threw that at a G-Love. The metal smashed the G-Love's middle—bull's eye. The robot broke into rings corresponding with its different colors. The boat spun into another boat, which spun into another boat, ejecting the Chomp-Bot Chibi-Usa was fighting and, in turn, Chibi-Usa herself. Chibi-Usa released a yelp and then channeled her energy to stop her flight, hover in place. At the same time, Rei threw a fireball; the Chuck she fought swerved, and the fireball exploded on the back of one of the boats. The boat burst into fire, flames firing off the boat and then exploding in midair like fireworks. Mamoru's jaw dropped.

The lights reflected in Patrick's eyes. "Ooh, pretty colors."

"Oh, no." Mamoru flew higher, away from the firecracking boat. Chibi-Usa did the same, one golf ball-sized flame shooting past inches from her hair. Mamoru winced, but Patrick imagined Chibi-Usa's hair bursting into flame, all her hair spewing fire instead of being pink. Patrick almost wished that her hair had caught on fire so he could see what it would look like, but a head of fire wouldn't feel good to Chibi-Usa.

Rei bit her lip, flew out of the boat, leaving the robot behind. The Chuck lobbed a water missile at her. She threw another fireball at the water missile. The fireball and the missile collided, both exploding in midair, the explosion spreading to the Chuck and causing it to burst.

Rei flew in front of Chibi-Usa. "Stay behind me, Chibi-Usa-chan."

"It's okay. We can still fight separately." Chibi-Usa peered over Rei's shoulder. Her eyes bulged. "Mr. Krabs, you should move. Really. Rei-chan's flames hurt very badly."

Patrick looked in same direction as Chibi-Usa. Mr. Krabs gathered coins from the boat that had exploded earlier, trying to hold three treasure chests' worth of coins in his two knobby arms. Every time coins dropped, he'd pick them up, dropping more coins, and then bent to pick those up, dropping more coins. The pattern continued, flames blowing past him. Mr. Krabs hadn't gotten hurt yet, in contrast to the robots that the flames had burned.

A Fodder wheeled behind Mr. Krabs, electricity crackling around its wand. Mr. Krabs' focus on the coins kept him from seeing the Fodder.

"Damn it." Mamoru dashed toward Mr. Krabs. Patrick threw his metal at the Fodder. The Fodder's radar-like eye brightened at the coins, and it reached for the money. Mr. Krabs whirled around, snatched the Fodder, flung it into the flying hunk of metal. The Fodder's pieces scattered like the fireworks Rei had created.

Mr. Krabs shook one of his pincers, coins falling. "All these are mine, y'see? Mineminemine."

Rei's explosion had caused civilian fish to run away; none were around for miles on end. Maybe they had gotten away.

"We have to get out of here." Rei flew toward Mr. Krabs, Mamoru hovering near the crab but, thanks to Patrick, unable to carry the crab. "Mr. Krabs, I'll take you away from here."

"Not without me money."

"Yes, without me money," Rei barked and then cringed. "I mean, you have to go without your money." She hooked her arms under the crab, swept him above, coins trailing onto the ground.

"No." Mr. Krabs wept. "Me precious money."

"You should be glad I'm saving your precious life."

Patrick didn't see any more boats or robots. Rei's flames had destroyed them all, so the game was over for Patrick, for now. He wished this were a video game so he could play again.

* * *

Chibi-Usa looked over the smoking Downtown Bikini Bottom. She didn't see any more robots or fish.

It was over.

A little part of her wished that she had gotten in trouble, though, so she could see Helios again.

What a selfish thought—she would've made her father, Rei, and Patrick worried again.

A screeching noise echoed from up ahead. More robots.

The largest boat the group had seen howled through the downtown area, toward the residential one. It ran over debris; no fish were in the way for it to crush, since most had left thanks to the four distracting the robots. Spikes protruded from the boat's wheels. Metal music emanated from the boat, and two Ham-mer robots sat in the front seat, bashing themselves on the head with their heads of ham in time with the music's beat.

The Guardians, Mamoru carrying Patrick, chased the boat.

Waving two bright orange cones, Mrs. Puff led a line of fish into the residential area. She blanched at the monster-truck-like boat rushing toward them. "Oh, my."

Patrick threw a hunk of metal, smashing the boat's hull, but the boat didn't slow.

Rei launched Burning Mandala. The flames dissipated against the boat.

Mamoru released Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber. The white beam encased the boat and then faded. The boat and the robots, which had ducked into the boat, remained intact.

Even though she knew it wouldn't help, Chibi-Usa spewed Pink Sugar Heart Attack. Upon getting close to the boat, the hearts darted away, like they were afraid of the big bad boat.

The monster boat was of a different caliber than the other boats.

Separately, they couldn't stop the monster boat that rapidly approached Mrs. Puff, the fish scampering away, Mrs. Puff taking shelter being a house. But together, they might have a chance.

"Let's combine our attacks," Chibi-Usa said.

"I agree," Mamoru said, not because she was his daughter, but because he was thinking the same thing.

"I have one last piece of metal," Patrick said.

"On three, we'll launch our attacks at the same time." Mamoru reached toward Rei's outstretched hand. Chibi-Usa did the same. Patrick lifted his metal, ready to throw it into the Guardians' attacks.

"One…"

Chibi-Usa gripped her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope tighter. She wouldn't let them down.

"Two…"

Chibi-Usa could not let them down. Because if she let her friends and the fish down, these despicable robots would keep roaming free without consequence.

"Three! Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!

"Mars Snake Fire!"

"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"

"The Star of Pats' Giant Metal Throwing Attack!"

The white beam shot out of Mamoru's hand. Mars' fire combined with the beam, tinting the beam scarlet. Chibi-Moon's hearts spiraled around the beam. Patrick's metal flew into the middle of the beam, not dissipating but staying solid.

The combined attack slammed into the boat, which screamed to a stop. The metal smashed into the middle of the boat, just behind the robots, halving the boat. The vehicle was engulfed in flames and pink hearts, the robots screaming instead of cackling like they did when they hurt someone else. The beam eradicated the boat, the robots dancing in the beam like they were covered with flames which, in a way, they were, since Rei's flames had been mixed into the beam. The robots melted, their remains combining with the pavement, solidifying, creating new road for people to drive on.

The attack faded, leaving only the slightly raised pavement.

Chibi-Usa let out a breath. The fight was truly over. If Helios had come too, they could've all combined their attacks, and…

She shook the thought out of her head. Distractions, distractions.

The Guardians landed on the ground, Mamoru letting Patrick down, looking like it was all he could do not to drop the starfish.

Patrick sunk. "Can't you carry me a little longer?"

Mamoru wiped the sweat from his brow. "You've been carried enough today."

Mrs. Puff walked to the humans. "For the second time, in one day, no less… You humans, you actually saved us." Some of other Guardians must've saved Mrs. Puff while she was looking for boats.

"We weren't going to let you die at the hands of these robots," Chibi-Usa said.

"I can see that you're doing your best to defeat them all. And thank you for gathering the wheels. Even if the robots did end up stealing them in the end." She sighed. "Since most of the boats have been destroyed, we'll have to find another way to escape from these robots, Neptune forbid they come after us again like they did before."

"We're willing to help in any way we can," Mamoru said.

Her expression grew softer. "I know you will. If there's one thing I learned about humans, it's how reliable they are."

Other fish emerged from their hiding places, gathering around the humans, Mrs. Puff, and Patrick, faces bright.

"They did it."

"They got the robots. They saved us."

Bubble Buddy bowed. "Awesome job."

Chibi-Usa beamed, their praises filling her. She wasn't useless. Maybe she had never been.

"This calls for a victory screech," Fred said, a cast wrapped around his leg that had been hit with the piece of debris. "C'mon, everybody." Before Chibi-Usa could ask what the unpleasant-sounding victory screech was, he, the other fish, and the human bubble demonstrated, ululating the worst ululation Chibi-Usa had ever heard, made Chibi-Usa's ears feel like blood poured out of them. But the so-called victory screech was for her, Mamoru, Rei, and Patrick, so she couldn't cover her ears, no matter how much she thought her ears would implode. Besides, the victory screech sounded a little nice; the four had earned it.

"Oh, my _goodness_!" Rei placed her hands over her ears, not caring how rude she looked.

To his credit, Mamoru remained stoic. Even though Patrick joined in the victory screech, screeching directly into his ear, Mamoru didn't twitch. Chibi-Usa wished she possessed his level of self-control.

Fins gripped Chibi-Usa's arms, and the fish lifted her into the air so that she faced Bikini Bottom's sky that was as blue as Japan's. They raised Mamoru, Patrick and Rei, the Guardian of Flames saying, "You don't have to touch me. I was fine on the ground."

They all faced one sky, were lifted by one people, were part of these people. Were part of one world.


	13. Operation Beach Sweep

**Chapter Thirteen: Operation Beach Sweep**

Thanks to Hotaru, the Outer Guardians could transform.

Haruka smirked, settling deeper into her car's leather seat. She pressed harder on the gas and revved her F512's engine, speeding down the stretch of highway, cars screeching to get out of her way.

"You're going too fast again."

"Oops. Sorry, hon." Haruka slowed the car. Michiru sat in the passenger's seat, her turquoise hair that flowed like the sea cascading over her slender neck that screamed to be kissed…

Michiru smiled softly. "Are you getting distracted, too?"

"Never around you." Haruka tightened her grip on the wheel. Nothing got past Michiru. But Michiru kept Haruka in check. Sometimes. Most of the time, Michiru was irresistible.

Haruka was driving nowhere in particular while Setsuna and Hotaru played together at home (in their case, especially since Hotaru's sudden maturing and awakening that gave the rest of the Outer Guardians their powers back, "playing" likely meant reading encyclopedias). Haruka and Michiru watched the sky burn crimson, relaxing after spending the day researching more about whoever their new enemies could be.

Haruka was always on the lookout for their enemies. Even while relaxing.

Wherever the enemies were, the Outer Guardians would find, beat, and force them to reveal what they had done to the rest of the Sailor Team.

Haruka had a pretty solid idea of who their enemies were. During commercial breaks on television, advertisements for a group calling themselves the Dead Moon Circus were broadcasted nearly nonstop.

Anyone with the word "Dead" in their name couldn't be good guys.

Since the rest of the Sailor Team disappeared hours earlier, the Dead Moon Circus doubled down in their efforts to upset Japan. During their performances, the circus hypnotized crowds of people yet no bad publicity surrounded their show, encouraging droves of people to continue to see their acts. Innocent people were being violated because the Dead Moon Circus was searching for something that, in all likelihood, only the Guardians possessed.

The Outer Guardians had to attend the Dead Moon Circus' performances and stop the circus before they could accomplish their goal. Who knew what would happen if the Dead Moon Circus succeeded?

"We'll defeat them." Just like Michiru to easily read Haruka.

With Michiru and her teammates, Haruka could do anything. "Yeah. We will."

* * *

Like every place in Bikini Bottom, Goo Lagoon was something.

Minako loved the beach. What she didn't love was the "goo" that Sandy had spoken of. She did not want to touch it, much less swim in it.

Was all the water underwater goo?

Minako shuddered. Makoto and Sandy gave her looks. Minako laughed their looks away.

After a taxi ride into the area, the three ran into Goo Lagoon, their deep sea suit-covered feet crunching on the sand. A narrow path led to the beach. A clam (Bikini Bottom's version of pigeons?) at one end of the path bit at a French fry. Another clam landed beside the first, and the first squawked at the second. While the first was squawking, the second chomped and swallowed the fry. The first screeched, the second flying into the distance. The first pursued. If someone had stolen her meal, Minako would go after the thief, too.

Minako was glad that she, Makoto, and Sandy had gotten acquainted with each other in the treedome, which would make it easier to fight together. Sandy had told Minako and Makoto about how big the United States was, the pecan pies, the sprawling green pastures. But she didn't speak much about herself; the Guardians were more interesting to the squirrel.

Sandy had leaned against her treedome's wall, a Fodder outside, not seeing the polyurethane, cackling, raising its electric wand, and wheeling toward Sandy, only to crash into the wall and destroy itself. "Now, what's this I hear of y'all havin' powers?"

"Well," Makoto said, drawing out the word, "we didn't have powers at first."

"You mean, you were struck by lightnin' or something?"

"Nothing like that." She eyed the ceiling. "I guess when you think about it, we always had powers. We just hadn't discovered them yet. Our powers were lying dormant in us all our lives. Many lives."

Sandy's eyebrows shot up. " _Many_ lives?"

Minako patted Makoto's shoulder. "I don't think we need to go that deeply into it, Mako-chan."

"Yeah, probably not." Makoto shook her head. "Way too confusing."

"Of course I'm confused because y'all haven't explained anything to me."

Makoto and Minako had decided that there was no harm in letting the sea creatures know about their true identities. They told Sandy that they had thought they were ordinary teenagers until their powers as Guardians awakened. That Sailor Moon was part of a place called the Moon Kingdom and the other members of the Sailor Team were her protectors. How Luna, Artemis, and Diana were from the Moon Kingdom.

"That's why I thought you, SpongeBob, and Patrick were from the Moon Kingdom at first," Minako said. "Luna, Artemis, and their daughter, Diana, could talk, and they were from the moon."

"I don't have a lick o' moon blood in me," Sandy said. "Nor does anyone else down here, as far as I know."

Minako and Makoto explained that they had past lives and were reincarnated, that they had sworn to protect Usagi, also known as Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity.

Lastly, they described their fights against enemies ranging from the Dark Kingdom, to the Black Moon Clan, to the Death Busters and, now, the Dead Moon Circus.

Sandy whistled. "Y'all have all types o' folks comin' after you. And for what?"

"Different things." Minako had gazed out the window, wondering if whoever had caused the robot problem, who she now knew was Plankton, wanted the same things as their enemies, like the Silver Crystal, to take over the Moon Kingdom. Did creatures on Earth, including the species underwater, chase the same things? Were humans and sea creatures different only in looks and not in nature? Was how they got what they desired determine whether they were good or evil?

Ooh, Minako was thinking deeply now. Artemis would be proud.

"Some of our enemies wanted to take over the Moon Kingdom, like the Black Moon Clan," Minako continued. "Others—the Dark Kingdom—wanted revenge against the Moon Kingdom. Queen Beryl against Usagi—some love triangle thing going on between Queen Beryl, Usagi-chan—erm, Princess Serenity, and Prince Endymion. Now the Dead Moon Circus…" She narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what they want."

"Y'all seem to bring trouble wherever y'all go."

"I hope that's not the case down here," Makoto said.

"Naw." Sandy waved her hand dismissively. "I betcha the robot thing woulda happened regardless of whether y'all had come or not. We're extremely lucky to have y'all here to help us."

Makoto inclined her head. "So, even though we haven't been here very long, you trust us."

"Like a cowboy trusts his horse."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Gave Minako the warm fuzzies to think that not only a squirrel, but also sea creatures trusted her and her friends quickly. Would ease their whirlwind of a time in Bikini Bottom.

"Goo Lagoon is Bikini Bottom's version of a beach," Sandy said as she, Minako, and Makoto ran farther into Goo Lagoon. "Everyone vacations there. If things were peaceful, we could relax."

With the Dead Moon Circus arriving, Minako had become stressed out, trying to figure out why they had come and how to stop them. Now, in Bikini Bottom, Minako was trying to figure out how to defeat the robots and return to Japan before the Dead Moon Circus wrecked more havoc.

Minako would give up her Super Famicom forever for one day to unwind, to lay on Bikini Bottom's beaches. She could tell her friends, Hikaru and Amano, that she had gone to an underwater beach. But first they'd ask how she got underwater. And then she'd have to explain that she came to Bikini Bottom through a vortex. And then she'd have to explain that talking animals lived underwater. And then Minako would end up in a mental institution.

As the three ran closer to the ocean—or lake, in Bikini Bottom's case—the air became cooler. Minako doubted that Goo Lagoon had an ocean, but this world had proven that anything was possible, including an ocean in an ocean.

The sea breeze slipped through a sliver between her suit's sleeve and glove. Felt wonderful. Reminded her of home, spending rare time at Japan's beaches with her friends. If only she could lounge on a beach all day, every day. But her life wasn't meant to be typical and leisurely. She'd been chosen, and she was doing her best to fulfill hers and her friends' destinies. She was the leader of the Guardians. Making others realize and reach their potential was her responsibility.

She'd matured much since her Sailor V days. A few days ago, Artemis had told her that he was proud, and not with those metaphors he liked to use. Just came out and said, "I'm proud of you, Minako. You've grown so much since you started as Sailor V."

Minako had suppressed a grin and instead snickered. "Getting soft, Artemis?"

"Don't get me wrong. You have a long way to go, but you've come so far in such a short amount of time, I'm impressed." He mumbled, "I didn't think someone like you could grow this much, honestly."

Minako squeezed Artemis' tail, making the cat yelp.

"This is how you repay me for a compliment?"

"Yup. Especially when my admirers give me a compliment and an insult in the same breath."

Artemis' compliments were few and far between. The Moon Cat thought that being strict would help her grow into the best Guardian she could be. Her friends' lives depended on her the most. She had been a Guardian the longest and had to be a role model to them, especially to the in-training Sailor Chibi-Moon. Despite her ripe age of 902, Chibi-Usa had a lot to learn, proving that people never stopped learning, no matter how old they became.

Minako had thought that learning, which was awful in school, would stop in the classroom. But the biggest lesson she had learned was that most learning took place outside a classroom and, often, the best lessons were learned outside a box full of students and a teacher proclaiming that she knew everything.

In a way, Minako liked being a Guardian because Guardianship allowed her to meet people she would never meet otherwise; gave her mental and physical powers; and gave her Artemis, one of her best friends and confidantes. She was mentally tougher now than she'd ever been. When she had first become Sailor V, the realization that a crush was the enemy had almost shattered her, but one experience with one man in her centuries-old lifetime didn't seem like a big deal anymore.

The path opened into the beach area. Looked like a beach above ground. Amazing how many areas in Bikini Bottom resembled places above ground.

Beach umbrellas were propped open throughout the beach, but no one lounged in the chairs under them. They were too distracted by the robots wheeling and dealing around, threatening the fish with their electric wands, their heads of ham on a stick, their remote-controlled lightning.

Remote-controlled lightning… Lightning at will?

Makoto must be getting a kick out of the remote-controlled lightning, but she wore a rare blank expression.

Glasses donned one robot's head. Because a robot would need glasses.

The robot, a Monsoon, zipped in the air. Their first encounter with a flying robot, not counting the G-Love, which had hovered only a few feet above the ground. Not only did it fly, but it also used a long-range attack—its remote-controlled lightning. An umbrella was propped onto the robot's head, like a hat. Did robots melt when exposed to too much sun? Could be a weakness worth looking into.

A fish stood nearby, doing nothing. Near the flying robot.

This was not going to end well.

A buzzing sound emanated from the Monsoon, like it had come up with an idea, and it pointed to the air. It pushed the button on its remote control. A black cloud appeared, beat down on the fish. Lightning struck the civilian, charring it into a fish stick. The fish stick fell on the sand, steaming. The smell of fried fish filled Minako's nostrils. Her stomach growled. One part of her wanted to eat that fish, but that wouldn't be right.

Especially not in front of the giant lobster who had watched the fish get turned into food.

The robot hovered between the lobster and Minako, Makoto, and Sandy. The lobster was twice Minako's size. She did not want to make that lobster angry.

Sandy threw her lasso, the rope whipping around the Monsoon's umbrella. She threw her arm downward, smashing the Monsoon into the sand, breaking it.

"That was easier to defeat than I thought," Makoto said. "You would think that it using lightning would make it a bit harder."

Minako raised an eyebrow. "Are you complaining that a bad guy wasn't hard enough to defeat?"

Makoto raised her hands. "No. I'm just saying, us lightning users are supposed to be much tougher. That robot gives heroes like me a bad name."

The lobster clapped. "Hey, good job, Sandy. I knew you had it in you."

"Who is he?" Minako said. The lobster was so big, she wished that the lobster was human. She'd date him, with his big self, his deep voice that dripped with masculinity.

Was she infatuated with a lobster?

Couldn't be. She was infatuated with the fantasy of a human man who was as masculine as this lobster.

Or maybe she did like the lobster.

Minako did not know she had this part inside of herself.

One of the many faces of Minako, one that she would hide deep down inside herself. Artemis would not be pleased.

No, it was because of the anthropomorphism. Not because of that naughty part of Minako that needed to stay stuffed in a corner.

"His name is Larry," Sandy said. "He flexes way too much."

"I believe it," Makoto said, mouth parted.

Larry waved at the three, seemingly unafraid of the humans. But if Minako was Larry's size, she wouldn't be afraid of two scrawny humans, either.

The three ran to Larry, who was even taller up close.

"I was on my way to my home, in the downtown area." Larry gazed at the sky wistfully. "I was thinking about the T.V. reception."

Sandy crossed her arms. "All these robots runnin' rampant, and all you can think of is what's on T.V.?"

Man, the tube was frying people's brains. If zombies rampaged around the world, people would be glued to their T.V. sets. The zombies could eat people's brains, but people wouldn't care as long as they could watch T.V.

"It's not really that. I'm getting sick of these robots, and I'd love to get away from them. Plus, I want to check on my home. But anyhow, the big problem is…" Larry cocked his head, looking straight at Minako. "Do I look a little red to you?"

Was the lobster flirting with Minako? Whatever was in the lobster's mind, Minako wasn't having it. Besides, her brief infatuation with the lobster was one of the stranger thoughts that, hopefully, she would never have again.

Makoto looked at Minako. "Aren't lobsters supposed to be red, or am I going crazy?"

"No, you're not," Minako managed to peel her eyes off Larry, Larry not peeling his eyes off her.

"You know, if you ever need some protection, I'm here," Larry said.

Minako turned up her nose. "I won't need protection anytime soon." Her earlier thoughts were gone. She was attracted to humans, not muscular lobsters that stood on two legs. Because that would be strange. And Minako was strange, but not that strange.

"The humans are right," Sandy said. "Even down here, lobsters are always red."

Larry grit his teeth. "Darn it. Those robots…"

"What did they do?"

Larry pointed to an island, a mountain of boxes stacked on top. Atop the boxes stood a Ham-mer robot. "See that robot? He and a bunch of other robots stole everyone's sunscreen, causing everyone here to be tanner than they'd like—or worse, sunburnt. We all need some protection from the sun's rays."

Minako tried to wipe sweat from her brow but knocked her hand on her helmet instead. Despite their being underwater, where the ocean should've kept them from feeling much of the sun, she sweat all over, courtesy of the sun. Sunscreen would be deeply appreciated.

"I itch and peel like crazy when I get sunburnt," Larry said. "Is it the same for you humans?"

Minako blinked. Really? "It is."

"Mm, that's too bad. I can shield you with my large body from the sun's rays. As long as you don't mind my sweating, glistening muscles." He stepped closer to Minako.

Minako stepped back. "I do mind. And we haven't even told each other our names."

He scratched his head with his pincers. Didn't that hurt? "Good point."

Makoto introduced herself and then Minako stiffly did the same. No more naughty ideas for the lustful lobster. Despite her earlier feelings, it _was_ strange for a human to be attracted to a lobster, and vice versa. Although, since Bikini Bottom's fish looked like humans, Larry's attraction made sense.

As Larry introduced himself, he flexed his biceps, looking at Minako. Minako got the message. She stepped back once more. Larry didn't get the message. He flexed once more.

Minako looked at the robot on the island. The robot poured sunscreen all over itself, bathing itself in white. She decided not to think too hard about what it was doing.

Makoto faced the robot. "So we have to get over to that island and get the sunscreen back and get the rest of the sunscreen from the rest of the robots." Her mouth twitched, like she was trying not to smile. "If the robots haven't used all the sunscreen on themselves."

"I'd love to help," Larry said, "but, heh, the babes need my protection." Another square look at Minako. She looked squarely back, not giving him leeway to think that he could put more moves on her.

What was it about her? Was it because her body language had reflected her brief attraction to the lobster? Makoto was much more his type—tall, muscular, athletic like him. Maybe Larry liked his ladies petite and waiflike.

Hell, Sandy the squirrel was more his type than Minako was. And Sandy was unlike Larry—although athletic, Sandy invented things but didn't show off her skills unless necessary. Sandy's treedome was impressive, and she had only told Minako and her friends about her inventions when she thought that they would help. While Sandy, Makoto, and Minako were in the treedome, Sandy had said that she was thinking of a way to survive underwater without deep sea dive suits.

"Even I'm gettin' tired of my suit," Sandy had said, "and I've been down here for a few years now. My suit's clunky and hard to move in. There's gotta be a better way."

Minako had been in her deep sea dive suit for only a few hours, and she was tired of hers. Fighting was difficult, moving was difficult, she had itches in places she didn't know she could itch, where she couldn't reach to scratch…

"Let me know if you need me to come to your rescue sometime," Larry said.

"Sure." Not even if Minako _was_ attracted to lobsters.

"Before we go, what are those?" Makoto pointed to a tower standing on raised ground, other towers some feet away. Buttons extended from either side of the towers, and a reflector sat atop the towers, beaming the sun's rays over the beach, contributing to the heat.

Other fish panted, tongues hanging out their mouths like dogs. Sweat coursed down their heads, dripping onto the sand. Some were reddening.

"Those are reflectors," Larry said. "Us lifeguards usually turn them away from people so they aren't burned by the sun's rays. But some of the robots have turned them right onto the beach. As you go along, it'll be great if you push the buttons and turn the reflectors away from the people to protect them a little more until you can get all the sunscreen back." He pointed at his white-splotched nose. "Unfortunately, I'm the only lifeguard on duty since the rest of the lifeguards ran away when the robots came, so I really do have to protect everyone here. I can't go around Goo Lagoon and push the buttons. But with you all here to help, I can check on my house downtown."

"We could turn those reflectors so the sun reflects on that robot on the mountain," Sandy said. "Give them a taste of their own medicine."

Makoto punched the palm of her hand. "Sounds good. We'll be killing two birds with one stone—turning the sun's rays away from the beachgoers and destroying the robot."

"We'd better get going," Minako said. They'd been spending too much time talking to Larry, and Minako had spent one second too many being attracted to him.

Larry waved. "Good luck. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Once he got over himself, Larry wasn't a bad guy. A little vain, but weren't all guys?

A reflector stood behind Larry, on the sand.

"Guess we should start with this one." Stepping under the reflector, Makoto reached up and pushed its button. The reflector turned onto another reflector, directing the sunrays onto another tower. "We must have to head over there and press that reflector's button."

Robots stood and hovered between themselves and the next tower. A Monsoon flew to the reflector on which Makoto had reflected the sun's rays. It slapped the tower, turning the reflector onto a fish, the sunrays frying the fish to a crisp. The smell of blackened fish filled Minako's nostrils. Her stomach rumbled and then flipped. How awkward it was to want to eat humanlike fish.

Would eating these fish be deemed cannibalism since they were basically humans?

One of the weirder thoughts Minako had had, even counting her fantasy about Larry.

"I've got this." An antenna extended from Makoto's tiara, and lightning crackled around it, slipping out the slivers between her helmet and her suit. The Monsoon's eyes brightened. Was lightning against lightning a great idea?

"Supreme Thunder!" Too late to reconsider. Once a Guardian announced her attack, that attack was coming out, no matter what. Lightning arced from the antenna on Makoto's tiara, through the slivers in her suit, toward the robot. The Monsoon pressed the button on its remote control, summoning a dark cloud. The lightning from Supreme Thunder pierced and swelled the cloud with electricity. Thunder rumbled, and the sky darkened.

Minako gulped. _Oh, boy._

Lightning shot in all directions, electrocuting fish, some flopping into the water. The Monsoon laughed, water slopping onto the shore.

Minako balled her hands. The fish being shocked wasn't funny.

The lightning zapped the sun's reflected rays and intensified the rays momentarily. The rays melted the sand. The water melted the sand faster and created a hole. The sand loosened, sucking the fish toward the hole.

Together, Makoto and the Monsoon had created quicksand.

Makoto rushed toward the frenzy. Must feel responsible.

Lightning against lightning had not been a great idea.


	14. Extraction Point

**Chapter Fourteen: Extraction Point**

What Makoto had done was sort of impressive.

Since the Monsoon was a lightning user, she'd wanted to beat it. A matter of pursuing power had morphed into more chaos.

Fish were being sucked into the hole created from the merging of the Monsoon's lightning, Sailor Jupiter's Supreme Thunder, and sunrays. They looked like they were swimming as they tried to escape from the too-strong quicksand. Hopefully, wherever the fish were ending up wasn't fatal.

The Monsoon kept pressing the button on its remote control, grinning, its head turning in 360 degrees. Makoto grinded her teeth harder. She would make sure it cowered instead of relished during thunderstorms.

Makoto charged toward the Monsoon, balling her hand. Behind her, Minako and Sandy followed, Sandy saying, "She looks scarier than a bear whose honey was stolen." But Makoto's emotions weren't besting her. Her anger, her "scariness" focused her. Besides, she wasn't always angry, unlike what her classmates at her old school believed. She would be eternally grateful to Usagi for taking a chance on her, giving her a group of friends when she hadn't had any.

For now, this robot was pissing her off.

The Monsoon's head stopped, and the robot looked squarely at Makoto. It laughed at her, pointing at the quicksand.

"We'll take care of everyone falling in the hole, Mako-chan," Minako said. "You focus on that robot."

"Gladly." Makoto jumped, reaching the Monsoon. She drew back her fist—her punch was going to be all Makoto Kino, nothing of Sailor Jupiter—and swung. Her fist shattered the Monsoon's glasses, stopping its laugh. The Monsoon spun, end over end, and crashed into the sand, eyes whirling, electricity covering it.

Makoto wasn't done with it yet.

Her tiara's antenna pulled lightning from the sky. With the civilians around and the unexpected effect of her lightning on the sunrays, she wouldn't risk summoning a storm to destroy the robot.

Sailor Jupiter put her hands to her tiara, gathering electricity into her palms. She spread her hands and the electricity between them, passed the electricity between her hands like a ball, enlarging the electricity each time it landed in her palms. She jumped, hovering above the Monsoon, aimed her hands at it.

The Monsoon shook, as afraid as the fish were when it attacked, trying to make itself smaller. Even in Bikini Bottom, it couldn't shrink itself.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" She threw the electricity. It pounded down on the screaming Monsoon, covering the robot in a mixture of green and white. If people saw green and white-tinged lightning, they'd know it was from Sailor Jupiter, not from nature, and to run as far as possible. Not that they'd be able to escape, but they could try.

"Holy…" Sandy from behind.

"Keep saving everyone," Makoto ground out between clenched teeth. Needed to concentrate on this lightning.

"We are. It's just, wow."

Usagi had once told Makoto that, from a distance, her lightning looked both frightening and beautiful. Her lightning tore attention away from whatever one was doing, commanded one to watch and revel in its power. Well, Usagi hadn't said anything about reveling in power, but Makoto liked to think that others felt more powerful when they saw her lightning.

The robot burst, its flying remnants trailing smoke. Makoto stopped the flow of lightning and landed near the remaining scorch mark.

No time to celebrate. She turned toward the fish being sucked into the quicksand. Larry had joined Sandy and Makoto, pulling the fish away from the quicksand (he didn't have a bias toward the "babes" but pulled everyone to safety).

Makoto had started the quicksand, so she would end it at the source.

She hurried toward the quicksand, grabbing fish and throwing them away as gently as possible.

Wrapping her chain around three fish, Minako pulled the fish out of the quicksand. "What are you doing, Mako-chan?"

"I'm going to stop the quicksand. Keep doing what you're doing."

Minako set the fish onto stable sand. "Is that the best way to do it?" 

"I'll find out." Makoto, Minako, Sandy, and Larry would never progress if the quicksand wasn't stopped at the origin.

Makoto jumped inside the hole. Like a badass.

Or she would've liked to. Instead of jumping into the hole, the quicksand shoved her on her ass and dragged her inside the hole, compliments of the suit she wore being heavy as hell. But she could've dragged herself out if she wanted to. Honest.

Makoto fell for a long time, sand cascading and roaring around her. Hollers echoed from below. She landed on her feet, but a fish from above crashed onto her head, slamming her to the ground. Two chances of badassery, denied. At her expense, someone hadn't gotten hurt.

The fish rolled off her, flailing, screaming. 

Makoto raised her hands. "Calm down, please, sir. My name's Makoto, and I'm here to save you."

"You're too scary to save me. And you hurt my leg _again_." The fish scurried away. Makoto grabbed the fish by the shoulder, stopping his momentum and flopping him onto his back.

"My leg!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you more."

Flailing, the fish smacked Makoto, but she hardly felt it. Another advantage of being the toughest Guardian, behind Sailor Uranus. But one tiny disadvantage: others thought she was scary. Her intimidating stature bothered Makoto because she ran off potential suitors, but she couldn't change it and had to deal with it the best she could.

"Sir, sir, I can help you get out of here, if you would please stay still for a moment."

The fish stayed still for a millisecond and then started flailing again. Makoto was going to have to get rougher than she had already. Great.

She grabbed the fish's arms, let him to the ground as gently as she could. "Gently" ending up being her slamming him to the ground, which wasn't gentle at all.

"Mylegmylegmyleg!"

Surely, Makoto was hurting other parts of his body, not only his leg. Or was his chanting some sort of nervous tic? Makoto held down both his legs with one arm and clasped his arms behind his back, holding his hands together.

"Sir, the longer you struggle, the longer it'll hurt."

He stopped. Makoto hated roughhousing innocent people. She could've let the fish go, but he could've gotten more hurt. Especially his leg.

"Sir, do you know where we are?" 

"Don't go to the beach, Fred, they said. Or you'll hurt your leg, Fred, they said. Or worse, your eyes, they said."

His name was Fred.

Fred talked to himself.

Would it be better if he was on the quieter side or talking all the time?

While she waited for him to quiet down, she looked around. Darkness surrounded her. How helpful.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the sounds around her, drowning out Fred's babbling. Water dripped on stone. Was she in a cave?

Makoto liked to think of herself as the bravest Guardian, but apprehension made her not want to move. She had to, though, else she'd never leave.

"Sir, we're going to move forward."

"Which way's forward?"

Hopefully, the darkness kept Fred from noticing Makoto's expression twitch. "I'll…figure it out." Before she moved from the top of him, she said, "You won't kick again, will you?"

Fred stared at her. Blinked.

Makoto stared at him. Blinked.

They stared at each other for a long time.

"This is really awkward," Makoto said.

"I agree."

They kept staring at each other.

"We should move," Fred said.

"I agree."

Makoto stood. Fred stood. He didn't flail. He was calm.

Until a growling and ticking noise came from the distance.

Fred flailed, jumped, turned every which way, screaming. He was drawing attention to her and him. Not good.

One light at a time, the area lit up, the bulbs lined at the sides of the cave. Really not good.

Makoto had to leave, but she had to save the rest of the fish.

Where had the rest of the fish who had fallen here gone, anyhow? Were their whereabouts connected to the lights?

Whirring noises echoed throughout the underground area, combining with the falling sand. Makoto and Fred turned in all directions. She stepped in front of Fred, maybe between the fish and whatever the hell was coming. The lights were blinding, worse than the sun in Goo Lagoon.

Being the strongest Guardian had afforded her the luxury of being unafraid of almost anything, except not being accepted because she had been rejected so many times.

SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy were different.

Like Usagi, they accepted anyone, regardless of looks and background. Even Ami and Rei had been reluctant at first to accept Makoto. They had likely accepted Makoto because she was with Usagi—couldn't speak to Usagi without dealing with Makoto. Usagi brought the Guardians together.

Without Usagi, the Guardians and Mamoru would be alone.

Makoto couldn't let her reverie distract her. Since she didn't know what was coming after her, she should be paying attention, but there was nothing to pay attention to but lights and the whirring.

"My biscuits!" Above.

It started with the biscuit crumbs pattering on her head. It ended with a kid falling on her head, knocking her flat on her face. Another time she could've looked badass, subverted.

A short, blue fish that looked like a kid, the first kid fish she had seen, rolled off her.

"Have you seen my biscuits?" the boy said. "I had four of them, but I lost all of them when I fell down here. Now I don't have any, and I didn't even eat one."

The kid had fallen down a pit of quicksand, and he was more concerned about his biscuits. Seemed like he had his priorities straight.

She looked up. "I don't see your—" One at a time, four biscuits dropped into her mouth, stuffing her cheeks like a chipmunk's.

Makoto chewed slowly, the kid staring at her. She couldn't do anything but chew.

It took her five minutes to finish chewing those biscuits.

She swallowed.

The kid had watched the whole time.

Fred was massaging his leg.

She had eaten his biscuits.

At least they tasted damn good.

"I'm going to take you all out of here," Makoto shouted above the whirring.

The kid stomped on the ground. "You ate my biscuits."

"I'll buy you more." Makoto took his hand. "We have to go. Somewhere."

The kid tugged his hand, but Makoto held. After what happened with Fred, she was not letting him go. "My mom made those biscuits."

"Oh." Makoto glanced at the ground. "I'm really sorry. They just dropped into my mouth." She couldn't have done anything; hadn't seen the biscuits coming. Thank goodness she hadn't choked. Dying from choking on biscuits would be quite a way to die after enduring countless supernatural attacks and traveling to different dimensions.

The kid grumbled, kicked the sand. Fred grumbled, massaged his leg. Makoto looked around. No signs of life. Maybe the whirring was a sign of the robots, but she couldn't see them.

Makoto had to move. The whirring had gotten louder since the kid had fallen.

"Let's go." Makoto winked. "I promise that I'll make you my own homemade biscuits. They'll be on par with your mother's."

The boy huffed. "Yeah, right."

Makoto didn't have time to argue. She took Fred's wrist and led the two deeper into the sand-walled area, her eyes finally having adjusted to the light for her to see only sand and stalactites. The ground had the consistency of sludge, like it had mixed with the water on Goo Lagoon, forcing Makoto, the kid, and Fred to drag their feet. She hooked Fred under one arm, making sure not to touch his leg, and hooked the boy under the other. She rushed as quickly as she could.

A quake from the surface shook the stalactites. Ahead, one snapped from the ceiling, rocks flying, some pelting Fred's leg. Fred yelped.

The stalactite crashed feet from them. Makoto pivoted, running around the stalactite and taking Fred and the boy with her.

"Boy, you sure are fast," the kid said. "You must be a superhero."

"I'm…kind of a superhero." Easiest way to explain. 

"You can't be 'kind of' a superhero. You either are or aren't."

"Okay, then I am." Makoto was starting to like this boy, and she had a feeling that he was starting to like her.

"My name's Billy, by the way. Thanks for cushioning my fall, even if you did eat my biscuits."

"Nice to meet you, Billy. My name's Makoto." Billy was handling being in a cave well, unlike Fred, who had an affinity toward screaming at everything.

The quaking continued. Makoto quickened. Had to find the rest of the fish that had fallen and get out. The whirring drowned out cries for help.

A snapping noise, like a breaking tree branch, sounded above. Rocks battered her.

She, Fred, and Billy looked up.

A stalactite was falling toward them.

Fred's pupils contracted. "This does not look good."

"My biscuits would be smashed if someone hadn't eaten them." Billy side-eyed Makoto.

Makoto was glad she had eaten them, too. They were damn tasty.

The fish here were getting to her. A stalactite was about to kill them, and she was thinking about stale biscuits.

Makoto wouldn't be able to move in time.

She had to fight the stalactite.

She placed Billy and Fred onto their feet. They slogged through the sand in a futile attempt to escape.

But Makoto didn't put them down so that they could escape on their own. She put them down so that she could attack.

Even underground, the wind brushed Makoto through the slivers in her suit. She felt connected with the wind, the electricity the clouds held, the sun. Lifting her arms above her head, she spun, generating an electric orb in her hands and forming a wind that expanded into a cyclone. Fred and Billy screamed. She wasn't hurting them—the cyclone had been formed where the stalactite was falling—but guilt crashed into her stomach. Hated making others afraid of her. She wasn't soft-spoken, but she cooked and cleaned and kept a good house with a warm atmosphere and, among her circle of friends, she was the confidante. (Not that her friends didn't trust one another. One didn't save another's life multiple times and then not tell that person everything. But Makoto was more in-tune with her friends' emotions than her friends were with their own emotions.)

Would Billy not be afraid? He was different than many other children who she had scared with her displays of power. Like when she was sitting in the park, alone, as usual, until a group of kids had called her to play baseball with them since they were one person short. She had meant to restrain her power but had gotten so entranced by the game that she hit a baseball into the distance, never to be seen again, breaking the bat in half. The kids had scurried away.

Were the people here different?

The cyclone clashed against the stalactite, shattering it, a booming sound echoing. Chunks of rock clattered to the ground. Makoto lowered her hands.

Billy screamed louder.

Despite being different species, the fish weren't different than the humans above.

Billy stopped screaming. "Why do you look so worried? I'm giving you a victory screech."

Makoto's expression blanked. "A, a what now?"

Fred screamed louder, too. Another "victory screech."

Makoto waved her hands downward. "I appreciate your screaming for me, but we have to quiet down. The robots might figure out our whereabouts, if they haven't already." Thanks to the big boom from the falling stalactite.

Billy grumbled, kicked the sand. "Aw, you're no fun."

The three ran toward a lake of goo several yards ahead, stalactites hanging above. Makoto carried Fred and Billy, Billy's eyes alight. They let her take them under her arms. They weren't afraid of her. Even though they had to know that humans ate fish, they accepted her.

Humans could learn a thing or two from these fish.

More rumbling from above. The lights turned off, leaving them in darkness.

Billy screamed. A real scream, not that screech from earlier.

Makoto slowed. The cave was nearly pitch-black.

Another snapping noise. The stalactites were about to fall.

Makoto tried to push off from the sand, but it was too soft, and she was sinking again; the closer she came to the goo, the softer the sand became. She plodded ahead.

In the sand, she wouldn't be able to outrun falling stalactites.

Before she could channel energy to fly, the whirring stopped. A G-Love, a Fodder, a Chomp-Bot, and, her favorite, the Monsoon, peeled away from the wall, rushed out of the darkness. The Monsoon's eyes darted between herself, Billy, and Fred, the robot challenging itself to electrocute three people using one lightning strike. The Monsoon took pleasure in others' pain, the opposite of Makoto. Makoto had inadvertently caused others pain so often that she wanted to use her powers for good. Being a Guardian might explain the reason behind some of her power, but much of her power had to be natural.

Since becoming a Guardian, she had accepted not only her power, but also herself.

She had always been confident, but being friendless before she'd met Usagi had discouraged her. Now, Makoto had the chance to protect others.

She'd have to fight while carrying Fred and Billy, keeping an eye out for Fred's leg.

Lightning scattered around her tiara's antenna. She struggled through the mud-like sand, the Fodder and Chomp-Bot wheeling and scampering, respectively, through the sand like it was butter, the G-Love and Monsoon floating.

Four against negative one. Fred and Billy couldn't fight, so Makoto subtracted two people from herself. Ami would agree with her logic.

The Chomp-Bot neared her, hacking its rancid breath. While Makoto was too tall for its breath to explode in her face, the odor of Patrick's socks, fish, and pizza wafted into her nose. But the Chomp-Bot's breath reached Fred and Billy, both of whom sputtered, Fred sounding like he was going to throw up. Billy vomited, the orange-green glop splattering in the sand, softening it more. Makoto slipped, crashed on her back, holding fast to Fred and Billy. Her biggest adversaries could be the civilians.

Makoto kicked the Chomp-Bot, and it shattered against the wall. The Fodder's electricity coursed up her leg. She yelped, drawing her foot back. Since Fred was in her line of sight, she hadn't seen the Fodder, and the whirring was all she could hear.

Before the electricity could spread to Billy and Fred, Makoto let go of them, and they plopped onto the sand, sinking some inches. The sand down here wasn't like the quicksand above.

Maybe the other fish who had fallen here had been sucked into who-knew-where.

Makoto's heart dropped. Of course not. The fish's clothes and accessories would've been scattered about.

Maybe the other fish had swum away in the goo.

Maybe the robots had gotten to them.

She couldn't speak robot, but she would force them to tell her what happened to those fish. Fists were the universal language.

Makoto kicked the Fodder, and it spun upward. She grabbed it. It jabbed its wand onto her helmet, and the electricity spread from her helmet to upper part of her suit. The electricity pierced her suit, and she writhed, dropping the Fodder. She may rule over electricity, but that didn't mean that she was immune to it.

She visualized the electricity that was hers to command, not the Fodder's. It _better_ not be thinking of spreading to Fred and Billy.

Yes, come back up, toward her antenna. The electricity surrounded her helmet, and she parted her eyes.

"Wow," Billy said. She could barely see him around the electricity. "Her head looks like a disco ball."

Makoto liked to think that she looked quite badass, but the image Billy had given her of a disco ball stole that badassery. Again.

She launched the electricity. The Fodder writhed, its eyes rolling. The Monsoon's eyes lit up, and the robot pushed the button on its remote control. A dark cloud descended toward Makoto, Billy, and Fred, the wide-eyed civilians near her even though they should've at least attempted to move away.

Lightning shot from the cloud, clashed with the electricity around her. The Monsoon's electricity grew a head like Pac-Man's, mouth clamping down on her electricity.

 _No._ Makoto visualized her electricity. If it was a beast…

That's right. Had always thought of herself as one, especially when her parents died, when person after person rejected her.

Her electricity elongated, grew fangs. An eye formed in the middle, the electricity growing a body that was long, scalelike. Her electricity roared, shaking the cave, the stalactites swinging, the Monsoon's electricity drawing back. Debris rained from the ceiling. A part of her worried about a cave-in, but she was in control. She wouldn't create another disaster.

"What is that thing?" Fred yelled.

"You two had better move." Makoto's voice rumbled like thunder. She hadn't meant to sound scary, but she had to encourage them to run to safety.

The fish scrambled, found their footing in the soft sand, moved away from Makoto and her lightning dragon.

The Monsoon's eyes widened so that they were twice the size of its glasses. The frozen Fodder stared at the dragon, the monitor that served as its eye with a line across it, pulsing, the pulse quickening the closer Makoto's electricity came to the Monsoon's. The G-Love had stopped and backed away, trying to be inconspicuous, but Makoto saw it. After the Monsoon, it would be next.

Her electricity's mouth opened, its roar becoming louder, more debris falling. Her dragon's mouth engulfed the Monsoon's electricity, her dragon growing larger. She pointed to the Monsoon, which flew toward the goo. She would not let it escape.

Her dragon flew to the Monsoon, its electricity zapping the Fodder as it passed over it. The Fodder fell to the ground, smoke rising. It hadn't been destroyed yet. Not until it guided Makoto to the other civilians' whereabouts.

Her dragon coiled around the Monsoon. The robot wasn't laughing now.

"Tell me where the other fish are," Makoto said.

The Monsoon stared at her.

Makoto shut her hand into a fist, and her dragon squeezed. The Monsoon's glasses shattered. "Now!"

The cave shook more vigorously. If she kept going, then the cave would collapse.

She had to control her powers, but when she was angry…

With their short legs, Fred and Billy weren't covering much ground. They had moved only a few feet since they had started putting effort into getting away. If they weren't faring well, then the other civilians couldn't be faring well, either.

The Monsoon pointed to the goo.

"They're under the goo?"

A nod.

Makoto squeezed once more, and the Monsoon broke, its pieces flying like a whirlwind. Some people might not like that she wasn't merciful toward the robot, but the robots had given so many fish hell, she resolved to give them hell, too.

A grin spread on Billy's face. "That was awesome."

Fred pointed to the ceiling. "I declare that another victory screech is in order."

Makoto released her fist, and the dragon dissipated. The cave stilled. All was quiet, save the ever-present whirring noise.

The Fodder still stood near her. The G-Love tried to be unnoticeable, but the tips of its fingers gripped the corner of a wall. Makoto launched a lightning strike onto the G-Love, and an explosion sounded from the corner, the hands collapsing onto the ground. Broken, too.

The Fodder remained. It was going to help her find everyone in this goo, whether the goo agreed with its body or not.

Fred opened his mouth, shaping it into an "O" shape.

Makoto winced. "Please don't screech. We'll draw attention to ourselves, and more robots will come." Which was partly true. She had brought enough attention to themselves and just didn't want her ears to fall off because of that victory screech.

Makoto shoved the Fodder forward. It wheeled ahead, stopped at the goo, head bobbing. Makoto stopped behind it, kneeing it lightly.

The Fodder jumped onto a wooden raft floating in the goo.

"Can you two swim?" Makoto said to Fred and Billy. Asking whether fish could swim would seem like a stupid question, but SpongeBob and Patrick couldn't swim. How could someone live underwater and not know how to swim?

"Sure can." Billy jabbed a thumb onto his chest. "I was at the top of my swimming class."

"I learned when I was a toddler." Fred shuddered. "That was the first time I hurt my leg, when I was learning how to swim. I've been traumatized ever since." His eyes grew distant. "It was a bright and cheery morning, the day I hurt my leg…"

"I'm sorry, but we have to hurry," Makoto said. The story of how Fred hurt his leg would have to wait until never. "Please stay ahead of me."

Fred and Billy dove into the water, Makoto diving in seconds behind them. The Fodder, mouth trembling, waited for them. It dared not move after the display of Sailor Jupiter's power.

The goo was thicker than water, more sludgelike than the sand. Must be sludge from above ground.

Ignoring the shiver that coursed from head to toe, Makoto dunked her head underwater. Thanks to the deep sea dive suit, she didn't have to hold her breath or close her eyes, nor did her eyes feel like fire danced on them.

Makoto shoved thoughts of what goo was made of into a corner of her mind. Time to focus on saving the other civilians. Besides, the robots might have gotten to them, and she might end up having to fight them in the goo.

Under the sludge was deep darkness, as though the goo wasn't blue but black. She looked down. The expanse stretched forever, perhaps leading to hell.

"Is anyone here?"

No answer. Maybe the fish couldn't talk underwater, so they couldn't answer. Nothing moved around her, the goo static.

The whirring came from farther below.

Taking Billy and Fred would be dangerous, but keeping them with the Fodder, out of Makoto's sight, would be more dangerous. She poked her head above the goo.

"You two, please follow me," Makoto said. "It's time to investigate what that noise is." She glared at the Fodder. "You're coming too." Didn't want the Fodder telling its robot friends where Makoto, Fred, and Billy were.

The Fodder shook its head. If it dove underwater, it would short-circuit and explode.

"Where are the robots and the other fish?" Makoto said. The robots were everywhere. Where the civilians were, the robots would be.

The Fodder pointed toward the whirring coming from under the goo.

Makoto couldn't risk leaving the Fodder. With a pang of regret, she punched the Fodder into the goo. It exploded, sending a swell of goo to Makoto, Fred, and Billy; they bobbed up and down as the swell passed.

"Can you two come with me? We're going to search for the rest of the fish who were taken down here, and I need your help, too."

"But we can't breathe." Fred glanced at his leg.

Makoto suppressed a groan, not wanting to hear anything about anyone's legs for the rest of her life. "I know. We won't be down there long. And you can come back up for air when you need it. I'll keep a close eye on you both."

Glitter filled Billy's eyes. "Sounds like fun." The boy crossed his arms. "I, I mean, what's in it for me?" 

Makoto blinked. "Uh, more biscuits?"

"Works for me. Let's go." He dove underwater, then Fred, then her. Swimming down, she cut through the goo. The whirring grew louder the farther they swam. As Fred and Billy held their breath, their cheeks puffed up. Makoto sometimes struggled to keep pace with them, which was to be expected since they were fish. They held their breath longer than humans, too. Another advantage of being a fish.

Lights lit up the area once more.

Makoto winced at the light, resisted the urge to shield her eyes; the blinding light guided them someplace, possibly where the rest of the civilians were taken. Confident that they could overpower anyone, did the robots want to lead others into their den?

A brighter light shone in the distance. Fred and Billy swam to the surface, Makoto following. Both took a breath and then dove back underwater. The three swam toward the light, Billy and Fred at Makoto's sides. Air whooshed from the brightest light, where an opening was carved out of a boulder on the ground. The whirring noise grew louder.

Makoto put a finger to her lips. Fred and Billy nodded. She swam to the opening, the air buffeting her, covering the opening with her body so that whoever might come wouldn't see Fred and Billy and both would be able to escape if anything happened to Makoto.

She peered around the corner and almost gasped.

Expanding before her was a lab-like area with a titanium tile floor; metal ceilings; and creaking, whirring square machines lined throughout, funnels sticking out of their tops, opening to the floor. Unconscious civilians floated in tanks filled with green goo, breathing tubes snaking from their mouths to the upper part of the tank, where a narrow chimney pointed above. Looked like a scene out of the late-night horror movies broadcast on T.V.

Robots shaped like the civilians stood throughout, ranging from three feet tall to ten feet tall. A G-Love punched one of the civilian-robots, sending the civilian-robot into the wall, destroying it. A Fodder shook its head. What did that mean?

Were the robots testing these robots to measure their toughness? Trying to create their own army of new robots?

New robots based off real fish… What was their goal? To make more powerful robots?

Had to be. The fish easily destroyed the robots. Maybe they thought that by creating robot versions of the fish, they could fight evenly.

Since a lab was under Goo Lagoon, labs might be hidden throughout Bikini Bottom, where civilians were being tested, made into robots.

What happened to the civilians' bodies?

Whatever was going on, Makoto was going to put a stop to it, starting with this lab.

Makoto floated back to where Fred and Billy were. They were gone.

Makoto looked into the lab, panic and anger rising. Grabbing the fish's hands, two G-Loves pushed Billy and Fred toward two empty vats, the fish's mouths covered with three layers of duct tape. At least they weren't touching Fred's legs.

Makoto nearly slapped herself at the thought. This world was getting to her.

The robots must've gone through a back entrance, afraid to capture Makoto.

The antenna extended from her tiara. She was outnumbered, but she had fought against worse odds. No matter what, she would save the fish.

Electricity crackled around her tiara, coursed down her arms, to her hands. She tossed the balls of electricity onto the G-Loves, Billy and Fred breaking free of their grips before the electricity could reach them. The G-Loves writhed. All the robots, including the civilian-robots, faced Makoto. She didn't care to count them. She simply had to defeat them.

Between Makoto, Billy, and Fred stepped several robots. She wouldn't be able to reach them now.

"Billy, Mr. Fred," Makoto said, "stay against the wall. I'll save you."

They did as they were told. They trusted her even though she hadn't been able to keep them from being captured. Which was more than she could say for most humans, most of whom took one look at her and stayed away, listening to her out of politeness when she did talk to them but trying to get away in the first place so that she couldn't talk to them.

Makoto was familiar with the G-Loves', Fodders', Chomp-Bots', and the Monsoons' attacks but didn't know how the civilian-robots would attack. They seemed to be prototypes; maybe they would malfunction, and she wouldn't have to fight them at all.

Makoto tossed a ball of electricity to a short, chubby civilian-robot that looked exactly like a fish in the vat. It writhed, and the fish in the vat writhed, the fish's eyes opening but his eyes white like a demon had possessed him.

Makoto called back her electricity, and it retracted into her hands. So that was how things were going to work.

Somehow, those robots and the civilians were connected. If they were connected because the civilians were in the vats, then she first needed to rescue the civilians before she fought their robot selves.

The Fodders, G-Loves, Monsoons, and Ham-mers wheeled toward her. One Ham-mer was wheeling toward Billy and Fred, both of whom had torn off the duct tape from their mouths and stared at the Ham-mer. Having faith that Makoto would save them, staying where she said to. That robot would be first.

Makoto jumped, hovered above the robots so that she was level with the Monsoons. She threw balls of electricity toward the Ham-mer. A G-Love shoved a civilian-robot in front of the Ham-mer. It was too late; Makoto's electricity shocked the civilian-robot, and it thrashed. Before she could call back her electricity, a black cloud floated before her, electricity crackling underneath it. The lightning shot out. She placed a hand before herself to call back her own electricity at the expense of her own well-being, but the Monsoon's lightning electrocuted her. She hollered.

Fred screamed, Billy saying, "I'll give you my biscuits if you leave us alone." Somehow, Makoto had a feeling that robots wouldn't be interested in biscuits.

Makoto forced open her eyes and pulsed energy throughout herself, drawing back. The electricity still crackled around her. The Monsoon laughed.

More lightning shot onto her. She howled. Despite how much she wanted to defeat the robots, will alone wasn't enough. She couldn't fight back.

As each second passed, the electricity strengthened, and the world dimmed.

 _Please, let Fred and Billy and the other fish be okay. Please…_


	15. Skirmishes

**Chapter Fifteen: Skirmishes**

The hole that Makoto had been sucked into was bigger than forty jackrabbits' holes combined.

Sandy lassoed multiple civilians, pulling them away from the hole, flipping some into the air and letting them land in the sand yards away. Being tossed was better than falling to wherever the hole led to.

As much as Sandy and Minako wanted to help Makoto save the rest of the civilians, they had to stay above ground and keep others from falling.

Fred, the leg guy, rolled toward the hole. Sandy lassoed, but a G-Love zipped in front of her and tickled her with a feather. The tickling sensation pierced through her suit, distracting her from rescuing Fred. The fish rolled into the hole.

Sandy karate-chopped the G-Love in half. What a pest.

Meanwhile, Minako lassoed civilians using her chain, pulling them back. Two Fodders had wheeled around her in a circle so that she couldn't aim at a boy tumbling toward the hole. Sandy lassoed too late. The boy fell down the hole, yelling, "My biscuits!"

Larry was helping, too, his giant arms carrying several civilians to safety. But he didn't move as quickly as Minako and Sandy.

With these robots barraging them, their only hope was to close the hole.

But how? An umbrella or beach chair would cover up the hole, but they wouldn't stop the quicksand from sucking people inside.

Did they have to do the opposite of what Makoto and the Monsoon had done to create the hole? Sandy and Larry didn't have powers, and Minako's powers didn't look like the opposite of Makoto's.

Quicksand was created by making sand too moist. If Sandy could point the sunrays onto the quicksand using the reflectors, then the quicksand would dry up.

Minako kicked robots and simultaneously lassoed civilians, throwing them away from the hole. Larry carried civilians away from the quicksand; he stayed near the quicksand's edge so he wouldn't be sucked down. Both could hold their own until Sandy turned the reflectors.

Sandy karate-chopped and karate-kicked and lassoed her way near Minako and Larry. "Hey, I'm gonna turn these reflectors onto the quicksand so it stops flowin'. Then the hole will be stopped up, and critters'll stop fallin' down there."

"Okay," Minako said, eyes focused on the robots and the civilians. "We'll take over from here. Take as long as you need."

Thankfully, these humans could understand what she was saying better than the fish. Almost every time she spoke, the fish cast her furrowed brows and cocked heads.

Sandy pivoted, trying to run toward one of the reflectors, but the quicksand was growing faster, stronger so that she ended up running in place. She lassoed one of the legs on the nearest reflector tower and then jumped, pulling herself toward the reflector. She flew, the air whistling in her ears.

A dark cloud settled before her, lightning crackling around it. Sandy set her jaw. _Bring it._

She slapped a wave through her lasso, throwing herself up and over the cloud. A Monsoon's jumbled mechanical noises filled the air, its version of cursing. She wouldn't fall for upfront attacks.

With one hand, Sandy reached toward the reflector. She was close.

Something barreled into her side, and she flew sideways, away from the reflector. She grunted. _This ain't good._

She parted her eyes. A Chomp-Bot landed under her. That robo-critter's fault.

Sandy held fast to her lasso, gripping it harder than a bull glares at a red blanket. Trying to control herself, she threw her weight toward the reflector but only slowed her flight.

She let herself fly. Minako and Larry were strong enough to fight those robots and save people while Sandy tried to figure out how to get back to that reflector.

Sandy hovered above the goo. She let go of her lasso, splashing into the goo. She swam as fast as her paws could take her, nearing the surface and the reflector tower.

The Monsoon and its cloud descended upon her. If Sandy was electrocuted in the goo, then things would not end well.

An extra lasso was stuffed in her pocket—couldn't be a proper cowgirl without more than one lasso—but rope and water didn't mix. She had her arms and legs.

The dark cloud struck lightning into the goo, and the electricity spread. She jumped out of the goo, water cascading from her suit. The cloud descended in front of her. She'd never fought a cloud before, but by Neptune, she would defeat it. If she couldn't beat a cloud, then she wouldn't hear the end of it from SpongeBob and Larry.

Lightning crackled under the cloud. She whipped her sandboard out of her pocket, threw the pink board through the cloud, splitting the cloud in half. The board kept going, the Monsoon's eyes bulging, its glasses falling onto its nose. The board slammed into the Monsoon, and the robot flipped backward. The Monsoon righted itself, straightening its glasses and scowling.

Sandy smirked. "You might wanna look behind you."

The Monsoon did in time to watch the board crash into and break off its head, the head plopping into the goo. Sandy grabbed her board, jumped onto it, using it as a launchpad to propel herself toward the headless Monsoon. She chopped the Monsoon into pieces.

"That's how ya do it." Sandy let herself fall back into the water and then used her board to surf to the beach. She jumped onto the sand, karate-kicked the Chomp-Bot into the distance, and then scurried toward the reflector on all-fours. She climbed the tower and then turned the reflector onto the quicksand, the sunrays drying the quicksand so that it slowed and then stopped, the remainder of the sand plugging up the hole where the civilians had fallen. Digging would take so long that, by the time they finished, Makoto might have saved everyone and gotten out of wherever she had fallen.

Sandy jumped off the tower, landing on her feet. She hurried to Minako, who chained the final three robots and then squeezed, breaking them.

"Where's Larry?" Sandy said.

"Went to go check on his house." Minako hooked her chain to her hip. "He figured that we could handle Goo Lagoon ourselves." She tried to wipe sweat from her brow only to knock her hand against her helmet. "I've got to get used to this thing."

"You'll get used to it in no time." Sandy extended a hand. "Good job, partner."

Minako shook her hand. "Same to you." She grinned. "We make a good team." 

"I'll say." She crossed her arms, the robots' pieces floating in the goo. "Thank goodness we managed to defeat all them robots. And you Guardians are pretty tough. I've never fought alongside a human before." Above ground, klutzy humans were good for dropping food scraps. Kept Sandy's food supply up. Whenever she wanted food, she went to a human-dense town. Humans threw out the best parts of food.

"I'd never thought I would fight with a squirrel, either. Maybe once we fight side-by-side, it'll get even more surreal."

"Heh, got that right." Bikini Bottom was a surreal place. Sandy had moved here not only for a change of scenery, but also to study the area and its critters. Who would've thought that humans would come to Bikini Bottom through a vortex? Well, the curious humans found their way everywhere. But no humans had ever come to Bikini Bottom.

Sandy looked at where the hole had been. "Now we gotta get to where Makoto is."

"Right." Minako placed her hands before the former hole, the ground indented where the hole had been. "I can blast it open. Hopefully, no one's directly down there. We've been up here for a while since Makoto fell, though, so it should be fine if I break it open."

A scream echoed from their right, and Sandy and Minako whipped their heads. A kid being carried by several balloons and the sand-dusted wind floated in the air. In the goo below, an inflatable sea dragon breathed out fire toward the child. The child screamed more from glee than terror, flailing.

"Looks like he's having so much fun that he doesn't realize how much danger he's in," Minako said.

"Why don't you go ahead and blast open that hole?" Sandy took out her extra lasso. "I can take care of that there critter."

Yards away, atop a gift store's roof, a D1000 chugged, puffed out two Ham-mers and a Tar-tar Sauce. The Tar-tar Sauce aimed at the child. Sandy lassoed, but a Monsoon dashed before the lasso, and she lassoed it instead. The Tar-tar Sauce squirted out a jet of sauce. Sandy threw the Monsoon into the Tar-tar Sauce, smashing both robots. Minako flew— _flew,_ without wings—to the boy, threw her chain around the child, and pulled him out of the line of tartar sauce. She met the boy halfway in his flight, the tartar sauce squirting into the goo. She grabbed the boy.

Below Minako and the boy, the toy dragon inflated with air. It exhaled a funnel of fire. Minako couldn't fly away in time, so she turned herself so that her back faced the fire, and the dragon's fire jetted onto her back. Minako scrunched up her face, the boy laughing. At least one of them was having fun.

"Save the children!" Mrs. Puff? What did she think Sandy and Minako were doing? "No, over here."

Sandy looked. Another child was holding onto a bunch of balloons, a Fodder below jabbing its electric-covered wand toward the girl, the D1000 creating another Ham-mer near the girl. Meanwhile, Minako took out a compact from her pocket and threw it through the fire, popping the dragon. It blew in circles and then bumped across the goo, toward an island. Minako tried to fly, but the balloons whisked her away. She let out a yelp of surprise and question.

"What the hell is this?" Despite trying to fly, the balloons were stronger than Minako was. "What the hell?" she hollered, her voice fading as she floated higher and higher, away from Sandy. The boy in her arms laughed harder.

Sandy turned back toward the girl. Unlike Minako, the girl couldn't take care of herself. An unsympathetic way of looking at the situation, but it was the truth.

Sandy rushed to the Ham-mer and karate-kicked it into a log that had been planted in the sand. The Ham-mer bounced off, onto its wheeled foot, bashing its own head with its hammer, its eyes clearing. Hitting itself must be how it stayed alert.

One more blow would finish it.

Sandy hurried to the Ham-mer. The robot smashed its hammer down. Sandy lunged sideways, toward the Fodder, the ham crushing the sand. She turned her lunge into a kick, striking through the Fodder.

Before she could blink, the Ham-mer stood above, swinging its hammer onto her head. Stars hula-danced in Sandy's vision. She was gonna get it for that. Buried underneath the sand, arms and legs bound, she couldn't reach above. The Ham-mer bashed her head once more, the stars morphing into hula dancers carrying pecan pies. If these dancers kept annoying her, then she wouldn't be able to defeat the robot.

A popping noise came from the distance. The Ham-mer looked up. Sandy pushed herself out of the sand and karate-chopped the robot's head of ham, sending the ham onto the robot's head, stars filling the robot's eyes. Sandy karate-chopped the Ham-mer's back, halving it, its pieces flying through the balloons the girl carried. Sandy ran under the girl and caught her. The girl danced in her arms. "So much fun!"

Sandy looked from where the popping sound had come. Minako flew around, a whistling noise echoing from the popped balloons the boy she carried held to. She gripped a sword that then transformed into a chain. The Guardian wrapped her chain around a log, drawing her closer toward the D1000.

Sandy put down the girl and took out her board from her pocket. One throw would do it.

Sandy fired. Her board flew through the D1000, the machine exploding upon impact. The explosion was larger than a stampede in the middle of a Texas rodeo, reaching Minako and the boy. Minako buried the boy under her arms, the boy trying to squirm out of her grip, but Minako saying something to him—the explosion drowned out her voice—and then pushing his arms down so that no part of him was visible. He must not be able to breathe, but him not being able to breathe for a few seconds was better than him not being able to breathe forever.

The explosion blew back Minako and the boy. Sandy ran after them, lassoing them and pulling them to the sand, where they toppled to a stop, Minako's hair twirling like a pinwheel.

Minako loosened her grip on the boy, her suit, hair, and face scorched black. She coughed out a puff of smoke. "Are you okay?" she said to the boy.

"Eww." The boy fanned himself. "Your breath stinks worse than rotten cheese."

Minako deflated. "I'll take that as a yes."

Sandy hurried to Minako and the boy. Although Sandy was glad that they'd been able to save some of the civilians, she wasn't glad about how much time had been wasted.

Minako let the boy go. "Now be careful. Stay away from robots. And balloons." She looked to the sky. "The hell were those balloons made of?"

"Helium," Sandy said.

"No. No, it wasn't. It was made of something much more than helium."

Sandy shrugged. "I'm tellin' you the truth."

"Whatever. I'm not gonna give myself a headache over balloons." She stood. "Anyhow, we'd better get back to our regularly scheduled programming and help Makoto."

"Wait." 

Sandy turned toward the voice. Mrs. Puff ran to them, smiling.

After catching her breath, she said, "Thank you both for saving the children. There are a few more out there being carried away by those balloons. Yes, they think it's fun now, but it won't be fun if they run into those robots or their balloons pop over the sea and they drown. Could you please save the rest? There are three more children in this area."

Minako and Sandy exchanged looks.

"Makoto will be able to handle her own until we get there," Minako said. "She doesn't go down easily, and anyone who's with her won't go down easily, either." She side-eyed the former hole. Sandy commended Makoto for her willingness to protect. Using her power for good... Protecting others brought out the most strength.

"We'd better go save them," Sandy said. "We'll be right back, Mrs. Puff."

The two separated, Sandy running toward the goo, Minako staying near the land, fearful that she couldn't swim in her suit as well as Sandy could.

Eventually, the kids were saved, and Minako and Sandy returned them to Mrs. Puff, the pufferfish promising to keep a tight rein on them.

By this time, Makoto had to have saved the fallen civilians. After guiding civilians away from the hole and defeating stray robots that were near the hole, Minako and Sandy returned to the hardened quicksand.

"Okay." Minako aimed the palm of her hand at the quicksand. "We're going to do this for real this time." She launched a heart from her hand, and it burst on the sand, revealing the hole. The sand softened and sucked rocks and sticks down. The reflector that Sandy had turned onto the sand slowed the sand considerably. The sunrays would quickly close the hole.

Minako hooked her arms under Sandy and then floated down the hole. A whirring noise sounded from below.

Sandy's ears pricked. "Sounds like some sort of machine, but I can't garner which type it is." None of the machines she had seen or invented in her scientific career sounded the way this one did. Down here was something shadier than an oak tree under the blazing Texas' sun.

Sandy and Minako ran through the lit cave, dodging broken stalactites, stepping over remnants of robots—must be courtesy of Makoto—and, after a few minutes, reached goo. A raft in the middle of the goo was littered with a Fodder's remains.

"Mako-chan must've made it all the way out here." Minako leaned onto her right foot. "I wonder what happened to her." 

"That noise has been gettin' louder, too." Sandy stepped forward. "There's only one thing to do—swim."

Minako and Sandy dove underwater. They swam to a faint light in the distance, looking around. Sandy opened her senses further so that she could hear above the whirring, listen for traps. They reached the light but stayed behind a wall's corner. After glancing around the area, ensuring that there were no signs of robots or civilians, they squinted into the light.

A lab that looked different than any Sandy had seen expanded before them. Machines resembling the D1000s were lined throughout one side of the lab. At the other side stood vats in which fish floated in green juice.

Flashes of light came from the center. Makoto's holler reverberated. A Monsoon was pushing its remote control repeatedly, sending crackle after crackle of lightning onto Makoto.

Whatever these robots were up to, it ended now.

Makoto's holler stopped; had she fallen unconscious?

The Monsoon threw back its head, laughing, its glasses falling off. Sandy would wipe that laugh out. She swept out her board. With her eyes, she charted a course. Through the Monsoon, through its remote control (stopping the lightning from electrocuting Makoto), through the vats (releasing the fish), through the rest of the robots (including the ones that were about to put the leg guy and the biscuit boy into the vats), through the fish-bots…

Fish-bots?

Those robots were inspired by the fish in the vats. So the civilians were being experimented on.

"I've got this, Minako." Sandy hurled her board, cleaving the Monsoon. The board ricocheted off the wall, broke through its falling remote control. Makoto fell to the floor, the board passing over her, to Sandy. Her throw hadn't gone as planned, but no matter. The squirrel, caught the board and then aimed at more robots.

The robots charged toward her and Minako. Before Sandy could throw, a short, chunky fish-bot slammed a metal pie into her face. Sandy flew backward. Gave "pie in the face" a whole new meaning.

Minako's chain morphed into a sword, and she sliced through the robots. When her sword started to pierce through the fish-bot, the fish inside the vat hollered, his eyes shooting open. Minako scowled. So that was the robots' game.

Sandy slammed onto the ground, the wind being knocked out of her. Robots hovered above her. How fast they were.

One kid fish-bot stuck out his metal tongue, crushing Sandy's torso, stealing more of her breath. The tongue left a trail of saliva on Sandy's suit. How in tarnation?

Ahead, Minako was tied up with the robots. Was Makoto still unconscious? And what about the leg guy and the biscuit boy?

Sandy had to stand. But the robots, their tongues were too long, their pies too hard (and tasty, when Sandy had accidentally tasted a blueberry one), the Ham-mers' ham too tough and overcooked. The robots kept attacking, surrounded her like bees to honey. Couldn't move. With each hit, the world dimmed.

Sandy chopped, her arm wobbling through the air. Her arm was met by a wand, electricity coursing through her body.

Couldn't find the strength to holler.

The robots' laughs faded. So did the world.


	16. The Deficient

**Chapter Sixteen: The Deficient**

Minako would not be bested by robots. If she, the Guardian's leader, let the robots win, then she would look weak. Unable to protect others. Not a good example for her fellow Guardians.

She had defeated more fearsome enemies than robots. Queen Beryl, whom she had fought when her powers were not as developed, made the robots look like child's play. But the robots compensated for their lack of power with teamwork.

Beating the robots would let Minako save Makoto, Sandy, and the fish quickly.

Makoto was unconscious, leaving only Minako to fight. Fighting alone while outnumbered was part of a Guardian's job description, though.

Minako tightened her grip on her sword so that her knuckles whitened. Then, she relaxed her grip. Had to stay calm or else she could make a fatal error.

Robots surrounded her, keeping her from seeing Makoto, Sandy, and the fish. Most of the robots surrounding her were fish-bots; if she hurt them, the fish floating in the vats would also be hurt.

Unfortunately, Minako would have to hurt the fish. She morphed her sword into a chain, kicking robots and fish-bots away from her. Couldn't hear the real fish crying in pain, but they had to feel her light kicks.

She wrapped her chain around the robots and clanked the robots together, immobilizing and forcing them into seated positions, revealing her friends.

The robots carried Makoto toward a dark opening in the back of the lab.

Sandy was gone.

The two fish who had been against the wall were gone.

 _No._

Minako could at least save Makoto. No way in hell would she let everyone she was supposed to protect be turned into robots.

She released the robots—had to because she had only one chain—their heads spinning. Some of their gears might have had been jostled from their bumping into one another, dazing them. At the most, she had a few seconds to save Makoto. Then, she'd go after Sandy and the other two fish. Finally, she'd save the fish in the vats.

Minako jumped over the robots she had chained, morphing her chain into a sword. Thankfully, Plankton's robots carried Makoto, so she could attack any way necessary. She swung her sword, but it bounced off a puff of green smoke. A Chomp-Bot stood before Minako's sword. Its _stinking breath_ had stopped her sword?

She drew back her sword and then jumped over the Chomp-Bot, flipping in midair. Hovering above Makoto, she wrapped her chain around the Guardian and then tugged Makoto up. A G-Love flew, its hands grabbing at Makoto, Minako drawing Makoto nearer to herself. These robots were not touching her friends again.

Makoto's eyes fluttered. Coming to?

Thanks to her height, her friend was _heavy_. Maybe Minako should start to lift weights.

Minako couldn't do anything while holding Makoto. Had to put her down.

Minako looked around, her hair smacking Makoto, who moaned with each hit. Didn't want to put Makoto down and leave her vulnerable.

She grinded her teeth. Needed backup. Needed her friends. She couldn't do it all.

Minako tried to kick the G-Love, but it grabbed her leg and slammed her onto the ground, knocking out her breath. The G-Love hovered over her, rubbing its hands, while another G-Love massaged the first's back. Must be an awesome massage with six hands.

Minako shook her head of the thought. Getting easily distracted was another reason why she wasn't as great of a leader as she could be.

Makoto lay on top of Minako, snoring. How the hell was she sleeping?

The G-Love drew back the palms of its hands.

Makoto's leg thrust out, smashing through both G-Loves. Minako grinned.

Makoto opened her eyes, winked. "You didn't really think I was asleep, did you?"

Minako's cheeks tinted red. "I did, actually. For a little bit."

"I'd never let you down, Mina-chan. Not like you let me down, apparently. I just woke up when we fell."

So the robots had inadvertently woken Makoto. Plankton hadn't installed common sense on them. Then again, Plankton lacked common sense. Couldn't install what you didn't have yourself.

Makoto and Minako stood, put their backs to each other, the robots surrounding them once more.

"Mako-chan, we have to go toward the back." Minako cupped her hands, opening them like a blossoming flower. "Rolling Heart Vibration!" A golden heart whirled into the robots, smashing them into pieces.

"Sandy and the others are back there? Supreme Thunder!" Lightning struck from above, breaking sounds reverberating. Minako shut her eyes to keep the flash from blinding her.

"Right. We have to hurry."

Makoto and Minako rushed toward the back, where the two fish and Sandy had likely been taken. Monsoons, Chomp-Bots, Fodders, Ham-mers blocked their way. A quick Supreme Thunder broke the robots, save the Monsoon.

Makoto scowled. "You again." Must have a history between them.

"Venus Love-Me Chain!" Minako coiled her chain around the Monsoon, its glasses and remote control falling to the ground. Minako squeezed the Monsoon, snapping it in half.

Minako morphed her chain back into a sword, slicing through robots, using Rolling Heart Vibration to smash through the flying ones. More and more blocked in their way, but Minako would not be bested by robots.

Transformed her sword into a chain. Minako wrapped her chain around a Fodder and a Ham-mer and squeezed, smashing the robots. Makoto kept breaking the robots using Supreme Thunder, Minako trying to shut her eyes each time. By the time the day was over, Minako would be blind. But if she lost her sight to save her friends and innocent people, who were involved because of a selfish plankton's ambition to steal a food formula, then she'd go blind a hundred times over.

Minako and Makoto kept charging forward, the opening where the two fish and Sandy had been taken coming closer and closer but not quickly enough.

It was never too late for the robots to start killing anyone.

Minako released a cry, transforming her chain into a sword, swung her sword through robots, morphed her sword back into a chain, crushed the robots. Makoto kicked each robot as she moved forward. A way to conserve energy and move faster. If she couldn't do anything else, Minako could kick, was the princess of it. Hell, she'd invented the superpowered kick. Usagi had copied it, and now Makoto was copying it, making a more powerful, badass version of it, but copying it nonetheless.

Copying Makoto's copy of her attack, Minako jumped, piercing each robot with her foot, using the momentum to propel herself forward. She cast Rolling Heart Vibration, ending robots, energy be damned.

Makoto used Sparkling Wide Pressure to smash a swath of robots. More robots took their place. It seemed like a neverending supply of robots was coming from somewhere; a D1000 must be duplicating the robots _._ Another obstacle keeping Minako from saving Sandy and the others.

By now…

She wouldn't lose hope until she found them. Had to be optimistic and give others hope, no matter how grim the situation.

Damn it, she _was not_ going to let these robots turn her friends into one of their own.

Minako would not be bested by robots. She would destroy every. Single. One.

"Look for the source." Minako whipped her chain through a slew of robots, smacking them into walls. "It's probably a machine making more robots in a secret area."

"Got it, Mina-chan. I think it's time to fly."

"I agree." As long as they dodged the robots and tartar sauce, flying would help Makoto and Minako move faster and find those duplicating machines.

The Guardians took to the air, Makoto near the ceiling, Minako near the robots, tartar sauce flying past, its heat singeing Minako's ears. Looking for the D1000, Minako made a beeline for the back of the lab, where Sandy and the fish had been taken.

She would not be too late.

Minako swerved past a dark cloud that crackled with lightning. The Monsoon's lightning accidentally struck a Fodder instead of the fast-flying Minako, the Fodder jumping and flailing, releasing a monotone cry.

She glanced over her shoulder. Makoto was still searching.

Fodders, Ham-mers, Tar-tar Sauces, Monsoons blocked her way. With three strokes of her sword, Minako halved the robots. They would not best her.

She flew into the opening.

Only to crumple against a wall.

Her concentration ruined, her energy flow stopped, and she plummeted to the ground, into the waiting arms of robots. She forced open her eyes, would not let a wall knock her unconscious.

The wall was made of thick steel—hadn't made a sound when Minako crashed against it. She kicked robots away, her mind working to find a way to either break through the wall or find another route to reach Sandy and the two fish.

Now she needed to find Makoto. Sailor Jupiter might have the power to break through the steel.

No, Minako knew. Had to stay optimistic, no matter how bad the situation was becoming.

The whirring noise that had permeated throughout their time in the lab grew louder. The robots shoved Minako around. She kicked them, gathered her energy, flew toward the noise in the main area of the lab. Three more tubes snaked from the ceiling, and three more vats had been placed on the ground, beside the other vats.

Minako knew where this was going.

Maybe she could intercept before Sandy and the two fish were dunked in the vats. The robots fell on top of her, crushing her, overwhelming her. Minako kicked and slashed and launched Rolling Heart Vibration, but the robots became more vigorous.

If only…

But she couldn't.

 _Failure._

She could be turned into a robot, too.

A crashing noise reverberated, turning the robots' and Minako's attention toward the noise. Makoto, fist outstretched, had punched through a D1000, chunks of the blue machine flying in all directions. Minako's heart lightened. Finally, a literal breakthrough.

Electricity crackled around Makoto's hands. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" The electricity grew, and she hurled the ball of electricity through the robots. Makoto concentrated, the electricity moving about deliberately, destroying Plankton's robots and leaving behind the fish-bots.

"Rolling Heart Vibration!" Sailor Venus bowled hearts through the robots, controlling her attack so that the fish-bots weren't destroyed alongside Plankton's.

Once the robots were gone, they would save the fish.

A clanking noise echoed. For a moment, the cave shook, debris falling off the ceiling. Could Minako and Makoto save everyone if the cave began to collapse?

The robots tried to stop them, but Makoto's and Minako's attacks were too fast, too powerful, sweeping up the robots. Clouds of debris filled the area, making it difficult to see.

The Guardians eradicated all of Plankton's robots.

Makoto's and Minako's attacks subsided in a collision, the explosion rocking the cave, more debris falling, clanking on several fish-bots, the real fish wincing. At least the debris didn't hurt that badly.

Time to save the fish and Sandy.

Red lights flashed. A steel wall crashed from the ceiling to the ground, blocking the vats from view.

 _Damn, not now._

Makoto balled her hands. "I'll break through—"

Several other steel walls crashed from the ceiling to the ground. "This is an emergency," a female, monotone voice said from the ceiling. "This is an emergency—emergency system activated. Lab closing for protection."

Steel walls fell everywhere. If Makoto and Minako didn't move, they'd be crushed.

They had no choice but to run.

The fish-bots scurried away, running to parts of the walls, opening the walls like doors, and rushing inside, shutting the doors behind them. Before Makoto or Minako could dash through the openings, more steel walls crashed in front of them.

There was nothing left to do but leave.

Side by side, Minako and Makoto flew out the lab, through the goo, into the tunnel, through the opening where the hole had been created, out into the sunlight.

Minako and Makoto touched their boots to the ground. Minako barely noticed Makoto over the devastation she felt. She stared at the spot where the hole had been.

 _Failure._

The robots had bested her.

Minako hadn't been able to save Sandy or the fish. She was the leader. What sort of example was she setting for the other Guardians, especially Chibi-Usa?

She'd have to tell the rest of the Guardians, Mamoru, _and_ SpongeBob and Patrick that she had failed.

Her nails dug into the palms of her hands.

Makoto laid a hand on Minako's shoulder and then gently unclenched her hands. Heat coursed down Minako's palms. She looked. Blood dropped onto the sand, bloomed. Maybe the other fish would think it was ketchup. If any fish was like Patrick, they'd lick it and get a rude surprise.

What a goofy thought for such a serious situation. Another reason why she wasn't a good leader—she tried to distract herself from serious situations. Sandy's capture, her failure to save the fish, _none of it was okay_.

"Please, Minako-chan," Makoto said, looking into Minako's eyes, "don't put this all on yourself. I will help you. So will Usagi and the others. And we have SpongeBob and Patrick."

Minako couldn't face them. How could she, after she'd failed?

"You didn't fail, Mina-chan. Because we'll get them back."

Minako smiled a little. Makoto knew her well and was dangerously perceptive. What would she do without Makoto?

Things weren't over. They were just beginning.

So Minako looked forward, toward the blazing sun that was so much like Japan's rising sun, the sun glistening on her face. They still had a chance.

She was not alone, but she felt like she alone was responsible.

She would save Sandy. She would save the fish. She would save Bikini Bottom.


	17. To Lapse is Human

**Chapter Seventeen: To Lapse is Human**

Despite the blood, Minako hadn't stopped balling her hands since she and Makoto had left the underground lab. Makoto's eyes softened. Minako shouldn't feel guilty. No one was at fault for Sandy and the fish being captured. The robots were cleverer than the Guardians thought, was all.

With her karate and lassoing skills, Sandy could take care of herself. But Fred and Billy… Makoto visualized Billy throwing biscuits at the robots, a Chomp-Bot ripping off Fred's leg. She suppressed a shudder.

One trait that most of Bikini Bottom's residents shared was determination, which Sandy had in waves. She'd keep Fred and Billy safe and use her genius brain to save the other fish.

Besides, Makoto and Minako could call on SpongeBob, Patrick, and the Sailor Team, combine their powers and their ideas to rescue Sandy and the fish.

Makoto opened her mouth to tell Minako her thoughts, but Minako raised a hand.

"I know, Mako-chan," Minako said, voice leaden with exhaustion, burden, self-inflicted pressure. "You don't have to give me a big you-can-do-it speech."

Makoto crossed her arms, anger beginning to replace her empathy. "Oh, really? Then what was I going to say in my big you-can-do-it speech?"

Minako counted off with her fingers, imitated Makoto's voice. "One, that it's nobody's fault, really, Mina-chan. The robots were cleverer than us, is all. Two, with her karate and lassoing skills, Sandy can take care of herself. Those two fish might have trouble, but Sandy has the determination and a big ol' brain to save all the fish."

Makoto gaped. Damn, she was good.

"I see I didn't miss anything. Great."

She scowled. "Screw your savviness."

Minako bowed. "Thank you." Her breath hitched.

"What's wrong?"

"Artemis, Luna, and Diana…" She inclined her head. "Our bickering reminded me of a conversation that would come from Artemis and I. The cats must be worried sick even though we've been gone for only a few hours." She chuckled humorlessly. "I miss the cats and Haruka-san and the others already."

Makoto looked at the sky that served as the ocean's surface. The opaque top of the ocean didn't show anything from above ground, not even boats. "Me too. I wish we could tell them we're all right." Not everything in Bikini Bottom was all right, but as long as the Guardians and Mamoru were alive and fighting, they were all right."

Minako knocked herself on the head. "Duh. All this time, I hadn't thought of calling the Outer Guardians or the cats with our communicators. I mean, the communicators work down here, at least amongst ourselves."

Makoto noticed the slight hardening in her jaw indicating that Minako was berating herself, calling herself stupid, not an effective leader when she was far from it.

Minako rummaged inside her suit's pocket for her wristwatch communicator, asking herself why she'd taken it off in the first place. Makoto gripped her arm. Minako kept rummaging, her teeth grinding.

"Minako." Makoto stepped closer to her friend. "Minako," she said softly.

All at once, Minako's hardness melted. Couldn't hide the pain in her eyes no matter how much she tried. Minako wasn't cut out to be stoic.

"I know this is a dim situation."

Minako's mouth twitched. Was about to say that Makoto had tried to give her the rah-rah speech but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"But you have got to stop beating yourself up. You're doing your best."

"My best isn't enough," Minako shot back, clams startling into the sky. Her uniform faded for a moment, the collar that was visible through the suit and the sense that Makoto felt when a transformed Guardian was near briefly disappearing. Makoto's eyes bulged. Minako's eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"What the hell was that?" Minako whispered.

"Did, did your uniform disappear?" If the deep sea dive suit wasn't in the way, then Makoto would've touched Minako's uniform to make sure that it was there. "I mean, it looks like it's back now, but…"

Minako waved her hand, laughing. "Oh, it's probably nothing but the weirdness of Bikini Bottom. Affecting our powers." Laughed more loudly, trying to drown out her worry.

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "That's bull, and you know it." No one else's whole transformation had ended because they were in a different world.

Another humorless chuckle. "I do. I'm guessing by your reply to my reply that this hasn't happened to you at all."

"That's right. Unless it'll happen to all of us eventually."

"Boy, that wouldn't be good. Which is a huge understatement. Without our powers, I'm not sure how much we could take down here."

"That's the truth." Thanks to her natural physical power, Makoto could fight without her Guardian powers. But for the other Guardians, who relied on their powers, especially their long-range attacks…

Minako let out a long sigh, wrestling with whether to worry about what had happened to the point where she tried to solve it or to pretend it had never happened and keep moving.

She could do both.

Would moving forward be dangerous for Minako? If Venus' powers stopped working in the middle of a fight, and Makoto and Minako had been separated, then Minako might be captured, too.

"In the meantime, we should try calling everyone who's in Japan." Minako dunked her hand inside her pocket again, pulled out her communicator. "Maybe we can speak to the Outer Guardians." She held the communicator to her mouth. "Hello? Haruka-san, Setsuna-san? Luna, Artemis? Are any of you there?" Static answered her. If the rest of the Sailor Team were here, then they could be clearing Goo Lagoon of robots while Minako and Makoto focused on saving Sandy.

"That plan went down the drain," Minako growled, wrapping her communicator onto her wrist.

Now, to save Sandy first, or pursue the rest of the robots in Goo Lagoon?

"Maybe if we keep going through Goo Lagoon," Makoto said, "we'll find another way to reach Sandy and the others. Or the robots will lead us to them." She cracked her knuckles. "Or we could _persuade_ the robots to help us. It worked against one robot I fought in that tunnel."

Minako placed a finger on her chin. "But the robots outnumber us. Even if we get one robot to help us, as soon as it sees the rest of the robots, it'll turn back against us because it'll think it can beat us with an army of robots helping."

"True."

"All we can do is keep moving and clearing out the robots until we reach that island." Minako pointed to the island with the boxes stacked atop, the Ham-mer scrubbing sunscreen on its ham, cocking its head, and taking a bite of the ham, chewing as if scrutinizing the taste. "Find any more robots that might be over there."

Makoto and Minako ran through Goo Lagoon, an excited Mrs. Puff flagging them down. Minako introduced Mrs. Puff and Makoto to each other.

"Thank you so much for saving the children," Mrs. Puff said. "You humans have been surprisingly helpful." Her eyes roamed over them. "Even though you did…"

Minako furrowed her brow. "What did we do, ma'am?"

"My husband." She choked. Shooed them away, hiding her face.

Mrs. Puff was associating Minako and Makoto with whoever had done something awful to her husband. Makoto took a chance, walked to Mrs. Puff, placed a hand on where she thought her shoulder was, and hugged her. The pufferfish stiffened to her touch.

Mrs. Puff sunk into Makoto's embrace. "You don't feel any different than fish do."

Makoto didn't want to let Mrs. Puff go. Mrs. Puff seemed like a wonderful woman who had been wronged by the world and took her grief out on all humans.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Makoto said. The void would always exist in Mrs. Puff's heart.

Mrs. Puff waved her fins. "Please, I don't want to slow you two down. I'm sure you have enough to do around here. And there are plenty more fish who need to be saved."

Makoto released Mrs. Puff. Despite her earlier experiences with humans, she was trusting them to get the job done. And they would.

Makoto and Minako pressed forward, defeating robots. Reached a valley (at a beach?) with a river running through it, inflatable, smiling dragons complete with bat-sized wings lining it.

The toy dragons breathed fire. Makoto let out a sound between a croak and a gasp.

Minako squared herself. "I've seen these things before."

The fire looked like a cross between a fireplace's blaze and smoke, but the fire overlaid the water. Could Rei's fire behave like the dragon's fire?

"Looks like the only way to get through this is to fly," Minako said.

Makoto stretched an arm in front of Minako. "Wait, Mina-chan. What if you lose your powers and plunge into the water?"

"I can swim." Minako readied herself for flight, channeling energy throughout herself. Makoto gripped her shoulder, ready to keep her down.

"But we don't know what's _in_ the water. I get the feeling that there are more than sharks inside."

Minako had to be thinking of the same thing. Even though she was headstrong and stubborn, she was thoughtful. Her moves seemed impulsive, but she did think things through, whether before, after, or during her taking action. If the action involved her friends, then she would think before doing anything, but if it involved only her, then she'd be reckless and take action _while_ thinking of the different possibilities and outcomes.

Minako balanced the Sailor Team. When Makoto thought about it, all the Guardians' personalities played off one another well. Made their team powerful.

"Doesn't matter. We're strong enough to defeat them. I don't care how wonky this place is."

Another thing about Minako: When she set her mind to something, it was nigh impossible to stop her. With Minako, it wasn't a matter of _if_ but _when._ Whether Minako went when Makoto's back was turned or when Makoto was distracted, Minako would do what she thought was best, consequences be damned, as long as those consequences affected her, not her friends.

But Minako had to realize that no matter what decision she made, her decisions would affect her friends.

So Makoto had to go with her.

Makoto let go of Minako, and Sailor Venus took flight, Sailor Jupiter alongside her, over the dragons.

The dragons snapped their heads at Makoto and Minako.

"Oh, boy," Minako said under her breath.

The dragons flapped their wings, taking to the air and hovering before Makoto and Minako, their smiles more disturbing than frowns.

Were these dragons under the robots' control, or were they toys gone crazy?

Makoto wouldn't be surprised if these dragons always had the capability of moving on their own. Seemed like something Bikini Bottom's toy manufacturers would install these toys with. Must've been a big selling point. Makoto could see billboards advertising fire-breathing dragons that came to life and played with your kids (who cared if those kids were burned to fish filets?) while parents drank their wine and "played" with each other. Anything to distract the annoyances called children.

Maybe the dragons had escaped from their owners and gone rogue, or there was faulty wiring in them, compliments of the robots.

Why the dragons were the way they were wasn't important. What was important was defeating them before they wreaked havoc alongside the robots.

The dragons swooped toward Makoto and Minako, Minako raising her sword, Makoto raising her fist. Time to pop these bastards.

Minako swung her sword in an arc. The dragons breathed out fire, heating Minako's sword so that the blade reddened, smoke rising from it. The blade was too powerful—

The blade began to melt, drippings of steel plopping into the goo. Makoto swerved, hovering between the dragon and Minako, swinging her fist into the side of the dragon's head. Felt like the dragon was closer to iron instead of air. Nevertheless, the dragon flew sideways, crashing into the wall, where it popped and blew haphazardly.

"What the hell is this?" Minako glared at her sword, as if blaming it for melting.

The antenna on Makoto's tiara extended, and electricity crackled around her helmet, spread to her hands, shaping into a disk. She split the disk into two, one for each hand. Threw each disk in opposite directions. The dragons breathed fire, burning through the lightning, darkening their fire from red to indigo and widening their fire into the size of a train.

Makoto glanced over her shoulder. Minako lurched away, flying above the top of the valley. Makoto flew, the fire-lightning blazing past her, scorching her suit across the chest. Thank goodness these suits were durable.

Another dragon flew behind her. Makoto swiveled around only for fire to pelt her face. Her helmet was heated in seconds, Makoto breaking into sweat, like she was about to melt. Makoto coughed, parted her eyes, flew out of the flames. A dragon appeared below, headbutted her behind—perverted bastards—sending her flying toward the first, which bit her arm. Where had it gotten _teeth_ from?

Makoto kneed the dragon, and it careened into the wall, its teeth tearing off from her suit, leaving shallow trench marks. The dragon crashed into a Monsoon, both the robot and the dragon slamming into the wall, the Monsoon breaking, its remote control dropping into the goo. The dragon deflated, a hole from the Monsoon's finger blowing out air.

A Monsoon…

Makoto looked around. Grinning Monsoons and G-Loves descended. Ham-mers bonking themselves on the head, Fodders, Tar-tar Sauces stood at the top of the mountains that formed the valley.

Minako dodged spraying tartar sauce, knuckles white against her melted sword's hilt. Her sword flickered back into her chain, but only five dull, rusted beads remained.

Minako's sword melting could be related to her powers switching off.

But Sailor Venus still had powers. Minako channeled energy around her foot and swung. "Sailor V Kick!" Her leg smashed into a Monsoon; it barreled into the offending Tar-tar Sauce. They fell into the goo, electricity crackling around the river and then fizzling out.

Pulling her arm from her suit so that she could reach inside her helmet, Minako took off her tiara, going old-school. After maneuvering her tiara into her suit's pocket, she stuck her arm back inside her suit's sleeve and took out her tiara, aiming at the robots, determining the best course to destroy most of them in one strike. Minako stuck her tongue onto her lip like she did when she was playing volleyball, concentrating.

Meanwhile, Makoto flew above, tossing balls of electricity to the dragons and the robots below, making them explode, looking between them and her friend. A G-Love careened above her, clasping its hands and slamming them onto Makoto's helmet, rattling her helmet and, in turn, her head. A bell rang through Makoto's head, jarring her, splitting the mountain, the river, the robots, Minako into triplets. Makoto punched air. Made herself _look_ where she was punching, but the G-Love grabbed her fists. Bad idea.

Makoto wrested her fists from the G-Love's, seized the G-Love's hands. She squeezed, breaking fingers off the G-Loves, the fingers splashing into the river.

Minako yelped.

Makoto forgot herself, turning her attention toward Minako. Another G-Love waved Minako's tiara above its head. Dragons and Monsoons surrounded her. Makoto flew, bursting through a Monsoon. Makoto had always thought of herself as hardy, but her body had broken through one of the robots. Her display of power didn't stop more robots from foolishly flying in her way, dragons joining those robots. Makoto kicked; punched; threw electricity, explosions going off in front of her, Makoto flying through the smoke that prevented Makoto from seeing Minako. Although she didn't know exactly where she was going, she hastened. As long as she ended up beside Minako, she could protect her friend, and all would be well.

Makoto pierced through the smoke. Robots and dragons surrounded Minako, blocking her from sight. With her powers, Makoto had to feel something when something awful happened to one of her fellow Guardians—that had to be in the Guardian manual somewhere.

"Rolling Heart Vibration!"

But the robots remained, one shifting so that Makoto could see her friend. Minako's hands were poised to carry hearts, but the golden hearts did not appear.

"Damn it!" Minako and Makoto said. Makoto quickened her pace.

Sailor Venus chose that moment to fade, becoming the civilian, Minako Aino.


	18. A Simple Schoolgirl

**Chapter Eighteen: A Simple Schoolgirl**

 _Taptaptap_ drummed Artemis' tail on the carpet. Minako and the others had been missing for a few hours too long.

Minako hadn't returned after leaving to help Sailors Mercury, Moon, and Chibi-Moon fight the Dead Moon Circus. With Sailors Jupiter and Mars joining the fray, victory should've been quick.

Artemis worried at his claw. Wherever the Dead Moon Circus had taken the Guardians, the cat wasn't powerful enough to break through the Circus' barriers and communicate, much less find Minako. Artemis had searched the arcade and scoured the computers in Minako's school for a way to communicate. His obsession reached a point in which Luna and Diana shut Artemis in Minako's bedroom, letting him stew in the darkness, saying that he was worrying too much and straining his eyes, staring at screens all day.

Artemis didn't care about worrying too much or eye strain.

Luna's and Diana's worries were reflected in their sweaty foreheads, their twitching tails. After locking Artemis in Minako's room, they likely went to hunt for answers themselves.

Artemis gazed at the wristwatch communicator lying on the bed. He had to get through. Somehow.

* * *

Minako fell.

She was above the goo, so her fall wouldn't end well. One, there was no way in hell she wanted to so much as _touch_ the goo, let alone plunge inside of it. Two, the robots and those inflatable toys were homing in on her. Those toys had been beating her since before the robots arrived and her powers shut off.

Was Sailor Venus, no, Minako Aino that weak?

She could transform in midair. She'd done it before, mostly during her Sailor V days when she wanted to get the drop on criminals.

Makoto, watching, was in one of her overprotective moods again, being more destructive than usual, wasting more energy than she realized. Minako needed to transform to stop being a burden.

Minako laughed. "Oh, no big deal. Lemme just transform again." Stretched her arm to the sky. "Venus Planet Power, Make-up!"

Wind blew, the goo washed up on the shore. Still, Minako fell.

Monsoons, G-Loves, and dragons were swarming around her. Not good.

Wait. If Minako let herself be captured, then she'd be taken where Sandy and the other fish were. She could save them. Even without her powers. Or was she being too reckless?

She was, but Minako was the type of person for the job. She needed to prove to Makoto and the other Guardians that she was strong without her powers.

Minako splayed herself. The G-Loves and dragons swept below her, carried her. Yes.

"Mina-chan!" Makoto said. Minako winked.

Makoto's face twisted into an expression Minako had never seen, would haunt Minako's nightmares: a cross between a grimace, snarl, and hiss. _Oh, crap._

With her body, Makoto burst through several robots, flying toward Minako at breakneck speed, the robots' pieces exploding. Kept going like the explosions didn't hurt at all. Holy crap.

Movement from above. A boulder plummeted toward Makoto, cackling Ham-mers standing on top of one of the valley's walls, a chunk of the wall missing. Holy _crap._

"Mako-chan, watch out!"

Makoto swerved but not fast enough. The boulder knocked her leg, causing the green light around her, signifying her energy flow, to fade—broken concentration. She dropped into the goo, her cry echoing. Hopefully, Makoto's leg hadn't been broken.

Minako's friend was hurt, and Minako didn't have the powers to help.

Minako had to be able to do something. Minako Aino was nother powers. Minako Aino was Minako Aino.

The robots flew Minako away. Makoto didn't surface from the goo. At least she could breathe, and maybe her suit had absorbed some of the blow from that boulder. Makoto was too tough to let a boulder take her out, especially when one of her friends was in danger.

The robots carried Minako over the valley, the valley's walls blocking her view of where Makoto had fallen. Minako prayed that Makoto would wake up soon.

But the horrible corner of Minako hoped it took a while for Makoto to wake. An unconscious Makoto couldn't worry about Minako. More importantly, an unconscious Makoto couldn't stop Minako from going to where Sandy and the others had ended up.

That selfishness was the worst part of Minako that reared up sometimes, the part that Minako pushed down every day. She didn't want anyone to see her selfishness because her selfishness was the opposite of who a leader should be.

Nevertheless, the horrible part of Minako was glad that Makoto stopped pursuing them. The robots wouldn't be distracted; they likely were going to turn Minako into a robot. Minako Aino was more cunning than people believed, so Minako Aino would save herself, Sandy, and the fish from the robots and those toys, powers be damned.

The robots, the Monsoon and G-Loves carrying her, the inflatable dragons about them, weren't taking her in the direction of the lab.

Maybe they were taking another route.

Maybe they weren't taking Minako to the lab.

 _Oh, crap._

Hadn't it been enough that Minako's powers had stopped working? She should be cut a break. It wasn't like she had an advantage over these robots or the toys.

Hadn't it been enough that Sandy and a bunch of other fish were being built into robots? If Sandy was turned into a robot, then holy hell, she would be hard to beat.

Hadn't it been enough that Makoto was incapacitated? Makoto was hardy enough to keep going, whether a block of steel slammed into her head or a boulder crushed her leg. Makoto would probably charge out soon to save Minako.

Nothing had gone right today. All that was supposed to happen was Minako, Makoto, and Sandy ran through Goo Lagoon, searching for the robots' source, clearing robots out. Not these zigzags and detours.

Minako wasn't supposed to lose her powers.

No, Minako. Could. Do. It. She had to, such a big risk she had taken that she'd look like a fool if it didn't work out.

They carried her toward a sand castle that towered just over one of the valley's walls, a sand gate at its entrance. The castle's high walls nearly blocked Minako from seeing inside. Atop, a Golden Spatula had been stuck in the sand. Robots roamed around the sand castle. Whatever the reason the sand castle had been built, the robots had claimed it.

Was the sand castle supposed to be the robots' stronghold? Maybe they had stashed more vats holding fish or the robot-creating machine in the castle. Minako didn't need her powers to defeat these robots or their machines. She'd return to the Guardians victorious, letting them know that she, the leader, had saved Bikini Bottom singlehandedly, not because of her own powers, but because she was Minako Aino.

 _You sound too prideful, Minako._

Urgh. She sounded like Artemis. The cat had more influence over her than she'd like to think. Knowing him, he was racking his brain over where she and the rest of the Guardians could be. The cats would be fine hiding from the enemy until the rest of the Guardians returned.

Instead of flying her through the gate, they carried her into the middle of the sand castle, where wooden boards had been stuck into the walls. More of those inflatable dragons littered the area. A goo pond rippled in the corner of the castle. Above the pond, a ring buoy was stuck on the wall.

No vats, no fish, no machines anywhere.

Maybe another lab was buried below this sand castle. They had to bring her here for a reason, perhaps to make a lethal Venus-bot.

No, a lethal Mina-bot. Minako Aino was not Sailor Venus, nor was Sailor Venus Minako Aino. The two would never be interchangeable.

The robots and the dragons lowered themselves to the ground, dropped Minako on her back. She swept onto her feet, putting up her fists.

Fighting an army of robots and dragons without powers looked impossible.

Minako almost gagged at the thought. She didn't need her powers, and she didn't need her fellow Guardians. She'd outsmart these robots and dragons and save everyone. Maybe she didn't need to break her knuckles fistfighting them.

The robots and the dragons watched her.

A Ham-mer wheeled toward the wall, where a red button was embedded. Someone had built a high-tech sand castle. Well.

The Ham-mer reached to push the button. Shouting, a Monsoon shoved the Ham-mer, sticking its head into the wall. Another Monsoon shoved the first out of the way, pushing the button. Monsoons liked pushing buttons.

A noise like a waterfall filled the area. The dragons, Monsoons, and G-Loves flew upward, the G-Loves grabbing the ground-bound robots. If the robots were escaping, then whatever was happening couldn't be good.

Goo poured out of the ring buoy, into the pond. The pond grew into a lake, kept expanding.

The robots were trying to flood the area and drown Minako.

Oh, crap.

How well could Minako swim in her suit? With their bulkiness and Minako not having her powers—

 _Minako was not her powers._ She could do anything without them.

So Minako ran.

As expected, the stupid robots hadn't put up a fence to keep Minako from escaping. The gate towered feet away. The robots wouldn't reach her in time.

The area right above Minako darkened. Lightning struck her. Without her powers, the pain coursing through was ten times worse.

No, it wasn't. Minako Aino was as sturdy as Sailor Venus. Who needed powers?

An explosion rocked Minako, launching her into the air. She fell facedown, grunting, smoke rising from her body.

Strands of crisp, black hair drifted in front of her eyes.

She grinded her teeth. Those damn robots had burnt her hair through her helmet. Her golden locks were part of what made Minako Aino beautiful, alongside her sparkling sky-blue eyes, her youthful red bow, her glowing complexion. At one time, Minako hadn't thought of herself as beautiful, not even attractive. But after meeting Artemis, the cat telling her how beautiful she was (even though it was creepy at first), she had begun thinking of herself as beautiful.

These robots were stealing her beauty, part of which made Minako Aino _the_ Minako Aino.

Minako resisted the urge to squeeze her hair, damaging it more. Instead, she would squeeze those robots until they popped.

She placed the palms of her hands onto the ground and pushed. It was harder than she thought to stand after being struck by lightning. Since she didn't have—

 _Don't think the word._

She kept pushing, her arms shaking. She visualized her blackened hair. Unlike Rei, she could not pull off black hair. Especially crispy hair that smelled like roasting fish.

Minako looked up. Ahead of her, a gate crashed down from the entryway's ceiling. Another Monsoon had pressed another button. Guffawing, the Monsoon returned to the air. The robot must've electrocuted her and, significantly, electrocuted her hair. She'd crush that robot. Regardless of—

Minako. Did. Not. Need. Them. She'd brought herself to the point where thinking the word sickened her stomach.

The goo washed over her hands, her knees, her face, thanks to an opening between her helmet and her suit; she hadn't been crushed by the pressure at all. Without her…things, she could survive underwater. That proved that she didn't need them. Or she had survived because remnants of her things remained.

No, it was all Minako.

Goo felt like sludge caking her face, like she was wearing a face mask, but without the benefits and with more heaviness.

She made the mistake of opening her mouth to cough and inhaled goo. She hacked, goo splattering onto her helmet. Goo tasted like gooey, chalky clay.

The sludge was the boost Minako needed to stand. She wobbled onto her feet. Being drowned in goo would be about a million times worse than being smacked by sludge.

The goo swept over her boots. Minako pushed down on her helmet, shutting the crack between her helmet and her suit. She felt a bit lighter, the pressure leaving her. Maybe the pressure was why she had such trouble standing earlier, not because of being struck by lightning.

The robots and dragons hovered about, laughing, those Monsoons throwing back their heads. The dragons' laughs sounded more like how car horns sounded; some dragons heehawed, wheesnawed like horses.

The goo rose faster and faster. Before she could fight those robots, she had to get out of this goo.

To the top of the sand castle she would have to go.

Minako ran, this time not toward the entrance; the robots had literally shocked that desire out of her (were Makoto's terrible jokes rubbing off on her?). She jumped onto two mounds of sand, a plank leading to a wooden platform that was erect a few feet off the ground. She rushed to the platform, turned. A barrel had been stuck in the sand, like the castle had been created so the unfortunate person trapped here would have to outrun the rising goo.

Minako jumped onto the barrel, the goo reaching halfway up the barrel. She moved more sluggishly than she had when she was Sailor Venus. No, she didn't need those things. _Stop thinking that you need them, Minako Aino, Goddess of Love all by herself without needing to be Sailor Venus. Wait, Sailor Who?_

The goo was rising more quickly than she was running.

The goo could morph into some type of monster once it caught her. She'd seen water mutate into monsters in Godzilla movies.

 _Oh, crapcrapcrap._

She was starting to think like Usagi. Minako Aino was her own person, not anyone else, including Sailor Venus.

Pushing herself past her best, she rushed more, her quads pulsing with pain. Climbing the sand castle was the most grueling workout she had ever endured. Her athleticism from volleyball and gymnastics did her no good in Bikini Bottom.

She couldn't give up. She had too much to live for, too many people to help. A hole would be left in the world if Minako Aino was gone. How sad would her mom and dad and Hikaru and her Sailor Team and Mamoru be.

Jumped onto another barrel. Were these gaps getting wider? Must be a combination of both the gaps and the suit she wore weighing her down, fatiguing her quickly.

On the goo below drifted a fish clad in a floating vest, making him look like a balloon. Fear shot through her. Bad memories of saving those kids from the balloons earlier.

The next gap was too wide for her to jump. The goo was becoming higher by the second. It brushed the top of the first barrel on which she had jumped seconds ago.

Couldn't think. Just do.

She jumped onto the fish. "Whoof!" the fish grunted. His flotation vest propelled her. She flailed, flying toward the edge of the wooden platform. She reached, grabbing at the platform's edge. Her fingers grasped the edge, her shins dunking into the goo. Minako hoisted herself onto the platform.

Before fear or thoughts could paralyze her, she kept moving toward the wooden platform attached to the castle's wall, which was a little higher than the goo. How was she going to get all the way over there?

Overhead, the robots and dragons cackled. Knew it was impossible for a mere human.

Not impossible for Minako Aino. Minako Aino was nota mere human.

Had to be something useful somewhere. Whoever had built this sand castle had put everything in it.

The inflatable fish behind her drifted back and forth.

Minako cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey!" _Remember your manners, Minako,_ her mama would tell her. Screw her mama for now.

The fish looked, eyes half-lidded. Nonchalant, like it was normal to be in a robot- and toy dragon-filled sand castle.

"Mister, I need you to swim over here."

"To jump on me again?" The fish clasped his fins over his stomach. "That hurt last time, girl. No more, no more."

"Yes more, yes more," Minako barked back. "I'll die if you don't get over here." And that goo was coming faster and faster, brushing the underside of the wooden platform on which she stood. _Oh, crapcrapcrapcrap._ The thought jackhammered through her mind.

She jabbed a finger at the robots and dragons above. "You'll probably die too. Sir." Usually, Minako was good with her manners, but not even her mama would blame her if her manners went down the toilet in life-and-death situations.

"Oh, yeah, my life is much more important," the fish said.

 _Why, thank you, sir._

"All right, I'll swim over there. But you gotta promise that you keep those robots away from me."

"Yesyesyes." Minako was having a hard time saving herself. The goo brushed over the tops of her boots. _Oh, crap._ How was she supposed to save this fish and herself?

All those times she had longed to be an ordinary girl chasing her dream of becoming an idol, she hadn't imagined to be like this. This situation wouldn't have happened in the first place if she wasn't a Guardian. She would've never met Fisheye or the Dead Moon Circus.

She would've never met her friends, either.

If only they were with her now.

The fish paddled between the platform on which Minako stood and the platform stuck in the wall. As soon as he was close enough, Minako jumped. She bounced off the fish, landed on the platform. The goo kept rising, but she had to help that fish because he had saved her life twice. Time to put his life before hers.

Minako crouched, reached for his hand. The fish grabbed it. Minako pulled, and he rolled onto Minako, bowling her onto her back.

The fish stayed on top of her. "That's the way it hurt when you jumped on me."

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry," she said through grit teeth. Must not lose patience, although the situation was dire enough for her to lose it all and be justified. "Please move so I can save your life." _Keep focusing on his life, not yours._

The man rolled off her, jumped onto his feet. Minako climbed upright. The goo rippled a few inches below the platform on which she and the fish stood. Damn, that goo was moving fast.

"Please go ahead of me." The words went against every self-preservation fiber in Minako's body, but she owed this fish, as annoying as he was within the five minutes she had met him. "Keep running and jumping."

The fish stripped off his inflatable suit. Before he could drop it into the water, Minako said, "Wait, sir, please don't do that. We might need it again if any of us fall. Please keep holding onto it." _Impressive, Minako._ She held onto her manners despite the life-threatening situation. Her mama would beam with pride.

The next three wooden platforms creaked. Minako gripped the fish's hand. "Sir, we'll have to jump on these three platforms quickly. I get the feeling that they can't hold much weight."

The fish fisted a hip. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"No. Sir," Minako grinded out. Her patience was being tested when they needed to _move_. "We have to hurry, or we'll drown. Rather, _I'll_ drown, which means that I won't be able to help you. And then you'll be captured by the robots."

"You don't know that." He shrugged. "But I'm fat, so what do I know?"

Weight had nothing to do with intelligence, but Minako kept her comment to herself. No time to argue. Had to keep this guy moving. He may not realize how awful this situation was turning out to be and how much worse it could become, but Minako did, and she was going to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Minako pulled the fish forward and then jumped onto one wooden platform, taking the fish. As soon as their feet touched the platform, it tilted downward. Minako pulled, her and the fish jumping to the next one. The second platform tilted. Gauging the distance between each platform, Minako and the fish jumped once more. The final wooden platform tilted, and Minako and the fish jumped onto the platform that was stuck in the wall with poles, sturdy.

Minako didn't let herself or the fish catch their breaths. She hurried forward, pulling the fish with her.

"You're hurting me again," the fish said. "You're gonna pull my shoulder out of its socket. And what happened to letting me go ahead of you?"

"First, I wanted to make sure we moved fast enough sir. Second, you can let go of me, but you have got to keep up." The goo lapped the surface of the last rickety wooden platform, which had tilted back up.

The fish snatched his hand from Minako's, but he didn't slow. On the platform on which they stood was a patch of lettuce…? On the lettuce sat a block of ice.

 _The hell is that?_ Could the ice freeze the goo, stop the flow of water pouring near the sand castle's entrance?

Minako whipped around. Had to make this fast. She may not have Makoto's physical prowess, but she could try to throw the ice block into the goo.

Minako gripped the block. Ice spread through her fingertips, to her arms, to her chest, to her legs.

The ice encased her.

The goo spread to the wooden surface, licking her boots. She could move her eyes—looked at the fish, which turned toward the next wooden platform and then turned back toward Minako, brow furrowed. Debating whether to save her?

She needed his help. Even if the goo melted her boots, she might not be fast enough to outrun it. It was catching up rapidly; no matter how fast Minako ran, the goo would drown her. The robots would be free to do whatever they wanted.

"You hurt me," the fish said, "but I don't want to hurt you."

She didn't want to hurt him, either. Somehow, she had and had to apologize, but she couldn't until he broke her out of this supernatural ice.

The fish gripped her arms. Tugged, snapping her boots from the wooden platform, ice breaking off. Stronger than he looked.

Carrying her, he turned toward the next rickety platform. A black ball fell before him, morphing into a Ham-mer. Where had it come from? Minako couldn't move her head to look.

The fish stepped back, gaping, eyebrows arching upward. Afraid of being drowned in the goo that reached just above the fish's knees, the Ham-mer, and the robots circling above. This fish was smart enough to defeat this robot or at least run around it, onto the next platform.

Snickering, the Ham-mer turned toward the rickety platform. Smashed the platform, detaching it from the wall, felling it into the goo. The fish tossed his inflatable vest onto the goo and then jumped on top of it, spreading his feet like he was riding a surfboard. Thank goodness. They could reach the top of the castle.

The fish dunked one foot into the goo and swiped, pushing the inflatable in the direction of the top of the castle. They no longer had to jump, only reach the surface.

Better yet, the ice covering Minako was melting.

The fish's hands slipped. Minako fell into the goo.

 _Oh, crap._ Her words were not strong enough to encompass how awful this situation had become. At least the fish was near her—

The Ham-mer threw its head of ham, smacking the fish's head. He careened into the goo, floated to its surface, eyes white. A knot wound up onto the fish's forehead.

Thankfully, the ice melted completely, and Minako paddled toward the inflatable vest. The Ham-mer threw its stick toward her. Her volleyball instincts kicked in, and she caught the stick, threw it back. The Ham-mer's eyes bulged, and the stick bonked its head. Its radar-like eyes blanked, and it collapsed into pieces. All because of a stick. Either the robot was fragile or Minako Aino was stronger than she thought.

Minako reached the vest, grabbed it and the fish's fin. Paddled toward the surface.

The goo was no longer a threat to her. Not like before, when she had thought that she wasn't strong enough to swim through the goo and fight the robots. Her thoughts had held her back, not the lack of her…things.

The robots realized the same. The goo stopped pouring from the ring buoy.

Minako climbed onto the wall of the castle, the castle's top open to the sky. Pulled the fish onto the surface, too. Shaking, she slid her hands onto her knees and panted.

The robots swooped to her and the fish, but they paid attention to only her.

The robots peered over Minako, lifting her hands, her arms, her legs. Squeezing her calves, her hamstrings, her quadriceps, her biceps. Feeling their size.

The robots pointed at the sinking goo. Nodded to one another.

Two G-Loves gathered Minako in their arms and carried her toward the underground. Where the labs were.

Instead of giddiness at being able to save her friends, nothing but apprehension, fear, the desire to leave filled her. But she was a Guardian. Being afraid was okay, as long as she pushed past her fear.

She wasn't a Guardian anymore, though. She was Minako Aino, who was powerless.

She had let herself say the dreaded P-word. She would reach the lab and be useless. As hard as she tried, she hadn't been able to fight the robots. Yes, her thoughts could hold her back but, realistically, Minako Aino couldn't fight an army of robots without her powers.

 _Face it, Minako. You are not Sailor Venus. You may not be your powers, but you sure need them._

Lightning struck.

The Tar-tar Sauces and Monsoons and G-Loves and Ham-mers around her collapsed, smoke rising. She fell to the sand. Above, Sailor Jupiter flew. The fire burning in her eyes rivaled Sailor Mars' flames.

No thoughts ran through Minako's head. Only joy.

The antenna extended from Makoto's tiara. Electricity spread from it to her hands, flowers—  
Bikini Bottom's version of clouds—consolidating in one area so that they no longer looked beautiful but like a prison guard's mace. Lightning crackled within the flowers. A dragon's head extended from the clouds.

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!" Makoto threw her arms toward the robots, balls of electricity shooting from them. At the same time, the lightning dragon shot toward the robots, its mouth opening, electricity crackling within. The balls of electricity shocked the robots before they could run, and the robots writhed. The lightning dragon's mouth clamped onto the robots, explosions booming within until all the robots had been destroyed, smoke encompassing the area, shards of the robots raining to the sand, around Minako.

 _Holy crap._

A goo-soaked, spread-eagled, panting Minako lay beside the sleeping fish.

Makoto stood over her, hands on hips. "Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that."

"Yes. Minako, _are you okay?"_

Whoa. Makoto wasn't playing. "Tired, but yes, I suppose."

"Learned your lesson?"

Minako smiled lopsidedly. "I suppose."

Makoto offered Minako her hand, and Minako took it, let Makoto pull her up, which the taller Guardian did like Minako was as light as a teddy bear.

"I won't do it again, Miss Kino." She sputtered goo. Minako meant it. If the universe was trying to teach her a lesson, she'd learned it. "Y'know what, Mako-chan? I'm starting to think that we can't do this by ourselves. We should get the others to help us."

Makoto slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. "Ah, so you didlearn your lesson. Great."

"You taught me well, ma'am."

"I didn't teach you anything." Makoto poked her finger onto Minako's nose. "The robots taught you your lesson today."

Minako was more willing now to ask her fellow Guardians for help. No matter how much she wanted to, she could not do it all.

"How's your leg, by the way?"

"Feels like nothing happened to it," Makoto said. "It just broke my concentration for a bit. But I fought through those robots to get to you. They didn't invite me inside their castle even after I knocked."

Minako chuckled. "You must've been as sweet as you could be."

"Of course. Am I anything but?"

Minako looked over Goo Lagoon, the sand and goo stretching into the distance, robots populating almost every square inch. "I feel like we've used up so much time here." She and Makoto needed the others' help. Many more robots roamed Goo Lagoon than in the residential area of Bikini Bottom. A powerless Guardian with one Guardian trying to protect her would prove disastrous. "I think we should go back to Bikini Bottom and wait for the others."

"Agreed." Carrying Minako, Makoto flew toward Goo Lagoon's entrance. "Mina-chan, you don't have to be tough all the time because you're the leader. You didn't suggest that we return to Bikini Bottom because you think we wasted so much time here. You actually think that we don't stand a chance with all the robots around."

Minako clenched a fist. "Damn you and your perception. Damn it all." She swung an arm around Makoto and squeezed. Makoto did the same. "Thanks, Mako-chan. Honestly, you and your perception are awesome."

Makoto grinned. "I know."

"So are you and your humility." Minako tightened her embrace. What would she do without her friends? How could she think that she could save Bikini Bottom alone? Humans weren't designed to do things alone.

 _That's right, Minako._ Artemis' voice echoed in her head. Minako's breath hitched.

"What's wrong?" Makoto said at once.

"It was Artemis…I think. Speaking in my head." Although the Guardians had been in Bikini Bottom for a few hours, Minako felt like they had been away from Japan for months. She missed Artemis, and Artemis must miss her, too. Must've been trying to call Minako on her communicator every hour, the worrywart. Luna and Diana might be with him to try to keep him calm, but their attempts likely weren't working.

"He was saying that I was right." When had Artemis gained the ability to read her mind? "When we get back to Japan, Artemis has a lot of explaining to do." But if they could communicate telepathically, then they could keep in contact with each other, regardless of where they were. How convenient. She thought, _Artemis, can you hear me?_ No response. "I can't communicate with him." She sighed. "Well, that was a short but sweet chat." It had been nice to hear Artemis' voice after what felt like ten years.

"It's okay, Mina-chan. You and I both know that this'll work out."

"Sure will." With her friends giving her strength, she could do anything, Sailor Venus or not.


	19. Neptune's Challenge

**Chapter Nineteen: Neptune's Challenge**

The bubble pie had been pretty good.

Before they left Jellyfish Fields, Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob sat at King Jellyfish's table, on chairs, which Usagi wasn't used to since she sat on the floor to eat—Bikini Bottom had an American-like culture, with its dollars and chairs and the fish's love of big boats and houses—alongside the king, eating bubble pie. Thankfully, the bubble pie tasted like apples instead of soap. Usagi had gotten to the point where she didn't try to decipher Bikini Bottom anymore.

Her communicator buzzed.

Gulping down the piece of pie she'd been eating, Usagi answered. Her mama had scolded her many times for talking with her mouth full. "Hello?" Hope filled Usagi. Maybe the Outer Guardians or the cats had figured out how to communicate with her while she and her friends were in Bikini Bottom.

"Usagi-chan?"

"Rei-chan!" Usagi shot onto her feet. Her heart dropped a little since Luna hadn't spoken from the other end. "You're all right. Oh, it seems like it's been ages since I heard your voice. Wait, just because you called me doesn't mean that everything's okay. _Is_ everything okay?"

Rei chuckled, a rare sound from her. "Yes, I'm okay. And so are Chibi-Usa-chan, Mamoru-san, and Patrick."

"Hello, Usagi and friends," Patrick said.

"Hi, Mama." Her daughter's voice was bright.

"My Usa…I've missed you."

Usagi wiped tears from her eyes. Hadn't realized how much she was worried about her friends and daughter since she was focused on getting through Jellyfish Fields.

SpongeBob jumped onto his feet, put his mouth to her communicator. "Patrick? Everyone? Hi."

"Hi, everyone," Ami said. "I'm glad you're doing well."

"Where are you?" Rei said. "We're waiting in front of SpongeBob's pineapple for the rest of you."

Usagi's brow furrowed. "Mina-chan and the others aren't there yet?"

"No. I called you all first."

"We're in Jellyfish Fields, eating bubble pie with King Jellyfish."

Silence on the other end.

"You're…you're doing what now?" Mamoru said as Patrick said, "Aw, and you didn't invite me? That's mean. You know I love pie, SpongeBob. And jellyfish."

"Sorry, Patrick. Maybe next time." SpongeBob winked at King Jellyfish, the king sitting with a pile of pies on his table, scarfing them down, plate and all. "The king owes us lots of favors."

"Bubble pie," Rei said flatly. "We're at the meeting spot worried about you and you're eating pie. A pie made from bubbles."

"That can't be good for your digestive system," Chibi-Usa said.

"R-right," Usagi said. Ami blushed, tucking her head. "We'll be there soon, though. Promise. There are these boxes that'll teleport us back to the beginning of Jellyfish Fields. So we'll be there in a few minutes. There's one next to where we are right now." Beside the tub stood a box. Did the king use it himself? Being quadruple the size of the box, it seemed like he wouldn't fit inside, but everything worked so differently here that King Jellyfish might be able to fit in the box without struggling.

"That must be our cue to go." SpongeBob waved at King Jellyfish. "It was nice spending time with you, Your Highness. Thanks for inviting us here."

After everything that had happened, Usagi was thankful, too. If robots devastated the Moon Kingdom, Usagi would want to be left alone for a little while. "Yes, thank you." She bowed. "We appreciate your hospitality, and I hope that Jellyfish Fields stays safe from now on." Doubt niggled in the corner of her head. That blue jellyfish seemed like trouble. Regardless, things had been quiet since most of the robots had been defeated, and Squidward had returned to his tiki ("No, SpongeBob, I don't want you to escort me," Squidward had said. "I've had enough of you for a lifetime." Usagi had walked with him instead and, seeing no one near SpongeBob's pineapple, returned to Jellyfish Fields, since the king wanted the Guardians and SpongeBob to join him for a pie party). Besides, forming a relationship with King Jellyfish was good in case they needed one another again.

Ami bowed as well. "Thank you, Your Highness. I enjoyed spending time with you." The polite thing to say, but Usagi thought Ami meant it. Even though the two teenagers couldn't understand what the king was saying, the king spoke with hand (or, in his case, stinger) gestures and buzzed animatedly, keeping Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob entertained.

The three walked to the box, the king buzzing goodbye. SpongeBob jumped in first, closing the box, its flaps popping open once the sponge had been teleported. Ami stepped inside next. Usagi was last. She jumped inside the box, which was bigger than it looked from the outside, fitting Usagi's nearly five-foot frame with some space to spare.

She closed the flaps and shut her eyes, not wanting to see whatever was happening to her as she was teleported. Felt like she was being jerked around. When the sensation stopped, she opened the box's flaps and then climbed out.

She, Ami, and SpongeBob stood at the entrance. SpongeBob whistled, and a taxi arrived within two seconds, even though no taxis had been wheeling around the Fields earlier.

The three rode back to SpongeBob's pineapple. Usagi ran out the taxi, embracing Mamoru and Chibi-Usa. She tried to put her head to Mamoru's solid chest, but her helmet bumped his suit. Couldn't wait for Ami to find a way to get rid of their suits so she could kiss Mamoru again.

Usagi gazed up at him. "I'm so glad to see you."

Mamoru reached in the familiar gesture he used to run his hand through Usagi's hair, but his hand ran over her helmet instead. He sighed.

Chibi-Usa embraced Usagi tighter. Usagi crouched to her daughter. "You took good care of Mamoru, didn't you?"

Chibi-Usa beamed, throwing her shoulders back. "Sure did. He was helpless without me."

Usagi looked her daughter up and down, even though she could see nothing but Chibi-Usa's head through the suit. "You took great care of yourself, too." Mamoru must've lived up to his name's meaning and protected Chibi-Usa with all his being.

Chibi-Usa shrunk back. "I-I'm 902 years old now. I'm not a kid anymore."

Must be some difference between 901 and 902 that Usagi didn't know about. Chibi-Usa was hiding something, though; she glanced everywhere but into Usagi's eyes.

Usagi cocked her head. "What's wrong?"

Chibi-Usa bit her lip. "Well…" She told Usagi, Ami, and SpongeBob about Pegasus, who had saved her in the downtown area from a cannon shooting sinks (more bombastic than the cannon shooting pufferfish).

"I'm glad that he came to save you, Chibi-Usa. It looks like you have another protector."

"Pegasus?" SpongeBob said. "Like the legendary seahorse with wings, Pegasus?"

"Sort of," Chibi-Usa said. "I'm not exactly sure who Pegasus is, either. But he's a good person."

Pegasus had appeared to keep Chibi-Usa safe and was on the Guardians' side. If not, he would've let the sinks kill Chibi-Usa or would have intervened to let the sinks kill her.

"Other than the sink-shooting cannon," Ami said, "I'm guessing everything else went well?"

Rei tried to flip her hair, which she did often above ground, but her hand bumped her helmet. "I suppose."

Patrick grinned. "Rei and I slid down a chimney together. Just like that fat genie in the red suit."

"Santa Claus?" Chibi-Usa said.

"Bless you."

Rei almost reached toward Ami. Usagi kept a smile from snaking onto her face. Rei had missed Usagi and Ami more than she was letting on. Rei tried to be stoic all the time, an elegant person, but she didn't need to. Sometimes letting it all out was fine. Rei would become annoyed if Usagi pointed out her true feelings, but Usagi hugged her anyhow.

"Hey, stop that. You know I don't like to be touched." Rei tried to sound annoyed, but it didn't work. A smile tugged at her lips, begging to be unleashed.

Usagi tightened her embrace on her friend. "Nice to see you again too, Rei-chan."

Rei grumbled. She was trying hard to keep frowning, but she let herself smile. Maybe it was being separated from her friends. Maybe it was something in the water. Maybe it was the effect of being in this type of environment.

Whatever the reason, Usagi was happy to see Rei happy.

"It feels good to be almost all together again," Ami said.

"I wish we didn't have to separate anymore." SpongeBob balled a hand. "Let's do our best to stay together from now on."

Usagi didn't have the heart to tell SpongeBob that if they always stayed together, then they'd wouldn't accomplish much.

"Honestly, after what we went through in that city," Mamoru said to the Guardians around him, "all I've been convinced of is that Bikini Bottom is crazier than I thought."

Words of agreement from the rest of the Guardians.

"You guys are whispering again," SpongeBob said.

"Humans do some strange things," Patrick said. "Unless it's part of your superpowers."

"Our powers don't work that way, Patrick." Whatever way he thought they worked. Usagi didn't want to know what was happening in Patrick's head.

"Now we wait for Mako-chan, Mina-chan, and Sandy to come back," Chibi-Usa said. "They should be back in a few minutes.

So they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The sun began to sink over the horizon.

With a stick, Ami drew diagrams in the sand of the device that would allow land creatures to breathe and survive underwater without being affected by the pressure.

They kept waiting.

Usagi resisted the urge to pace in front of SpongeBob's house. Couldn't make anyone more nervous.

Usagi didn't want to call because what if they were in the middle of a fight with the robots, and the sound distracted them, caused them to be zapped or kicked or burned by tartar sauce?

Usagi's thoughts might be illogical to others, but they made sense to her, and that's all that mattered, because no one else was in Usagi Tsukino's head twenty-four hours, seven days a week, but Usagi Tsukino. Besides, no one else had dared to call, either. Maybe they were as illogical as she was.

A taxi drove near SpongeBob's pineapple and dropped off Minako and Makoto.

Usagi's heart leaped. Her legs were running before her brain processed that only Makoto and Minako were in front of her.

Sandy was not with them.

Regardless, Usagi threw her arms around her friends. Felt like they had been separated for an eternity.

Makoto squeezed Usagi back harder than Usagi anticipated, stealing all the oxygen out of Usagi. "Thank goodness none of you were lost."

Usagi drew back, partially from confusion, partially to keep herself from dying of asphyxiation. "Lost?"

" 'Captured' is a better word," Minako said.

Everyone froze. Chibi-Usa, Rei, and Ami had been rushing to hug their friends, but they stopped in mid-stride.

Minako rubbed the side of her helmet. " 'Better' isn't the better word here. I mean, not the most appropriate. I mean that 'captured' is a more appropriate word." She stuck out her tongue. "Sorry to burst this little reunion."

SpongeBob's face fell. "What happened to Sandy?" Poor sponge's eyes became watery. No, no, he couldn't cry.

Minako took a breath. Being the leader often meant bearing bad news. "Sandy, she was captured. By the robots." She cast her eyes to the ground. "And Makoto and I…couldn't save her."

"Why not?" Patrick said. The starfish wasn't as slow as Usagi had first thought, at least when it came to his friends.

Minako glared at the ground. "Because at a time like this, I was selfish and weak." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. As your leader, I should've been stronger."

"No." Makoto wrapped an arm around Minako. "We both failed."

"She's wrong. Okay, so we both might have failed, but it was mainly my fault. Because I rushed in without thinking. Because I was trying to be the leader and set an example for you all. Because I _lost my powers,_ and now I'm plain Minako Aino, not Sailor Venus."

The wind was knocked out of Usagi. "You, you what?"

Minako faced Usagi. "Lost my powers!"

The sun dipped over the horizon, taking the last sliver of sunlight. Minako glared at Usagi. Usagi looked at her.

"Don't look at me like that." Minako grit her teeth. "I've brought this all on myself. On all of you. So don't pity me—blameme."

Usagi had never seen Minako lose her temper. Minako had always remained calm, never taking out her emotions on anybody. No matter what happened. Minako was the most resilient person she knew. But now…

Makoto tightened her embrace on Minako. "It's not your fault."

Minako shook her head. Her bluster was gone. She was letting it all out.

Usagi's eyes softened. "I'm glad you're not keeping secrets from us anymore, Mina-chan."

Minako opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Usagi said, "I don't blame you. None of us do. It's one of the things that happens, unfortunately, try as we might to keep it from happening." Goodness knew that Usagi had tried her hardest to save Chibi-Usa when she was Black Lady. Sometimes, effort alone didn't keep bad things from happening. "Some things are out of our control." Like Usagi becoming Sailor Moon. It was destiny, nothing to do with how Usagi behaved, the decisions she made. It just was.

Minako pursed her lips. "I get it. You all think I'm weak. That's why you're giving me this pep-up speech."

"No, Minako, that's not the case."

"You've got it wrong."

"No one said you were weak. No one even thinksyou're weak."

"Don't think of yourself as weak. You're as strong as you are as Sailor Venus."

"Your words mean nothing," Minako hissed. "I can see it in your eyes. You pity me. You've seen how far I've fallen. How I couldn't save one of our own." She dared look at a gaping SpongeBob and Patrick, the starfish seeming like he didn't quite understand what was happening.

"She doesn't look different than she did as Minako instead of Sailor Venus." Patrick fisted his hips. "Is she sure she lost her powers?"

Rei narrowed her eyes, muttering, "As sure as I am that you can be as thick as a wall sometimes, Patrick."

"Try using your powers," Patrick said. "You can do it, Minako. Go on, try it."

What timing.

A smile twisted Minako's face. "Okay. I'll try it." In her most high-pitched voice, Minako said, "Venus Love-Me Chain," emphasizing the wrong syllables, sounding like a mockery of Sailor Venus. Minako held out her hand into the distance, and the wind kept blowing.

"Don't give me any crap about Minako Aino having the same powers as Sailor Venus. Because Minako Aino tried to save Sandy without her powers. I tried so hard, and all I did was almost get turned into a robot myself. And, yeah, I let myself be captured because, hey, I thought Minako Aino was powerful enough to save Sandy, to let herself be taken to that lab where Sandy was taken—"

SpongeBob's eyebrows shot up. "Lab?"

"—but no, I wasn't. Makoto had to save me, because—"

"Because none of us could do it alone, Minako," Makoto said. "Why do you put everything on yourself?"

"I realize that I can't do everything alone, but that doesn't mean I don't feel…useless." Her voice became soft. Minako opened and closed her hands. "Useless…"

Instead of denying what was not true, Usagi took a different approach. "Why do you think you're useless?" Minako had saved the Guardians time and time again and had beaten Queen Beryl.

Minako peered up at Usagi. Where had the timid side of Minako Aino come from—losing her powers? Had she attached all of her identity to being Sailor Venus? "Because I couldn't save anyone without my powers. It's such a simple and obvious answer, Usagi."

"Just because you lost your powers doesn't mean you're useless."

Minako regarded Usagi. "That's easy to say when you've never lost yours. You're always the most powerful. You don't have to worry about losing yours."

"But I do." Usagi gestured toward the others. "All of us do." Minako couldn't think straight and was taking her anger out on others.

"Sandy was taken to a lab," SpongeBob said. Makoto stepped to him, talking to him and Patrick. Must be telling him about this lab. Ami, Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, Mamoru, and Rei also stepped closer.

"Please don't think that way, Mina-chan," Usagi said. "I promise that we'll find out what happened to you and fix it."

Minako nodded. "I know you will, Usagi-chan. You, you always do." Something flashed through her eyes—regret? She waved toward Makoto. "Go ahead, find out more about the lab Makoto's telling everyone about."

Minako wouldn't say another word about her feelings; she had said too much. Usagi joined the others.

"We don't know if this lab is where the robots are being created," Makoto said. "They could have built several around Bikini Bottom, and Minako, Sandy, and I happened to fall into one."

Ami rubbed her chin. "Underground is quite a location for a lab to be. Especially since you discovered it only because of quicksand. Usually, quicksand isn't as harmful as the quicksand you and the other fish fell into, Mako-chan. Quicksand leaves you stuck in it, but you can wiggle your way out, and it doesn't take you anywhere else, like underground." Her frown deepened. "What a sneaky place to hide a lab. The other labs must be in secret locations."

"Chum Bucket has a huge lab," SpongeBob said.

"It all ties back to Plankton," Rei said. "Small wonder."

"In this lab," Makoto said, "robots are built based on the fish taken there. If the robots are hurt, then the fish are hurt, too."

"That sounds like a problem," SpongeBob said. "Why Sandy, though?"

Makoto shrugged. "I guess they saw that Sandy could fight back against the robots and wanted to create a Sandy-bot that had her power. They've probably been searching for fish who would make powerful robots."

A smile grew on Patrick's face. "Pat-bot. Has a nice ring to it."

"Hope that you're never turned into a robot. The fish looked they were being tortured."

SpongeBob paled. "Tortured?" he squeaked.

Makoto winced. "Well, well, it didn't look _that_ bad."

"That settles it." SpongeBob's voice deepened into its heroic one. "We're saving everyone from these labs, no matter what." In seconds, SpongeBob's attitude had whiplashed. At least SpongeBob didn't stay afraid or sad for long.

Lightning flashed, and the sky darkened. Way too quickly, even for a place like Bikini Bottom.

A gust of wind nearly knocked Usagi over. She gripped Mamoru's bicep, steadying herself. She loved any excuse to touch his muscles.

Clouds resembling the ones from above ground descended from the sky, opening and revealing a circular temple that looked like it had come from Ancient Greece.

A green merman, shirtless, pecs, abs, biceps bulging, flew out of the building and then out of the clouds. He grabbed the sides of the clouds and pulled them closed. He floated above the group, arms crossed. His fin wagged, a shockwave rippling behind the merman, bowling over civilians who stopped and stared, others who had been trying to run. A seashell crowned his head. His brown, wavy hair flowed down to mid-shoulder, his forked beard reaching his chest, his mustache curled at the ends.

This thing took pride in its appearance.

Another human-like creature, a merman, like the ones in the bedtime stories Usagi read to Chibi-Usa. In her stories, the merpeople had been nice. Hopefully, this one was nice, too. But based on his half-lidded eyes and frown, he didn't seem to be.

"King Neptune," SpongeBob breathed. "Straight from Atlantis itself."

Another king? Usagi shuddered. King Neptune did not seem as friendly as King Jellyfish had proven himself to be. And was King Neptune related to Sailor Neptune, or was he a separate being?

"I thought Atlantis was a myth," Ami said, more soft-spoken than usual.

" _My_ Atlantis? A myth?" The king laughed, quaking Bikini Bottom. Laughs shouldn't shake the world. "Of course not. What made you think that?"

Ami kept her mouth shut.

King Neptune shot to Ami, pressed his face to her helmet. "I asked you a question, human _,_ and I expect you to answer it."

"Because I'm not from around here," Ami said, voice softer than before, "and I know nothing and am ignorant."

King Neptune nodded, his nod causing Ami to nod. He drew back, crossing his arms. "A good, true answer." Another wise answer from Ami, playing dumb to appease this merman who thought he was a god.

"I am the god of the sea, Neptune." Lightning flashed in the background, right on cue. He behaved like a god because he was a god. Maybe. "My name must have reached your human land as well. Surely, all of you humans have heard of the legendary god, King Neptune?"

The Guardians and Tuxedo Mask bobbed their heads, answering in the affirmative. Didn't want to piss a god off, especially in Bikini Bottom. King Neptune's eyes roamed over each of them, taking them in.

King Neptune's eyes settled on Patrick. "Ah, the round pink fellow who dared defy me before. Do you dare defy me again?"

"I don't know," Patrick said. "Do you want me to defy you again?"

SpongeBob scrambled in front of Patrick, outstretching his arms in front of his friend. "Forgive him, Your Godliness. He knows not what he speaks of."

King Neptune laughed once more, rattling Usagi. Felt like her brain was knocking about her head, and her teeth chattered. If anything, it gave her another excuse to grab Mamoru's bicep, which was so big that she could feel it through the deep sea dive suit. Destiny had chosen well.

"All right, I won't strike you with a bolt of lightning this time, round pink starfish. But I have come here to ask for a favor. I suppose the proper term is to command you to do my will."

Usagi was getting the feeling that Neptune _was_ a god. The way he talked, the way he opened and closed clouds, the way that he defied physics more than the other creatures in Bikini Bottom…

"See, my Poseidome has a bit of a problem. I've noticed that a foolish fish has unleashed robots upon Bikini Bottom. Normally, I couldn't care less, but a lesser god-in-training accidentally opened the way to Atlantis and let some of those robots into my city. I have punished the lesser god accordingly by striking him with lightning and forcing him to clean the bathrooms every day for a month. I have also made sure that those bathrooms are as dirty as possible by doing horrific things that should not be mentioned in front of the many ladies here."

What an awful punishment. Usagi hated cleaning her room, but cleaning the bathroom too… The things Shingo would do to the bathroom if Usagi was cleaning it instead of her mother.

"My wonderful Atlantis had been breached by the squirrel robot, who then proceeded to spray graffiti on my wonderful buildings and statues of myself and wrap clotheslines around the entrances to my temples, not letting my worshippers enter to bow down to me. And now, my powers are subsiding since they cannot worship me. I thrive on the praise of others. I wither without praise. I have already weakened much. I'm not even powerful enough to strike others with a powerful bolt of lightning, which is lucky for your round pink friend. It took much of my remaining strength to come here to ask for your help in vanquishing this squirrel-bot."

"Squirrel-bot…" Ami said under her breath.

"Sandy," Makoto whispered so that only SpongeBob, Patrick, Tuxedo Mask, and the other Guardians could hear her. Or so she thought.

Neptune leaned his ear toward Makoto, popped out a second ear in his hand and pointed that one toward Ami. "Ah, so you thought that I couldn't hear, could you? Even though I am a weakened god, I am still a god with excellent hearing, and you interrupted my speech. Normally, your interruption would warrant a punishment, but I can't think of any, and striking you with lightning would take more of my meager remaining energy."

Then why had he used his energy to make another ear when he had excellent hearing?

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, if my energy is being depleted, then I won't be able to rule Atlantis. I've done a good job of keeping my energy loss a secret from others, but they'll find out eventually, and then one of the lesser gods might attempt a coup. And I can't have that."

Patrick furrowed his brow. "A coup? Don't you mean a cup?"

"I'll forgive your interruption this time and your attempt to correct I, a god, who is perfect, knows all, and makes no mistakes. Your correction was wrong, by the way. I realize how ignorant you are and will explain for your benefit and for others who might not understand." His eyes drifted to Chibi-Usa, who straightened. She likely knew what a coup was; she'd seen many things in her lifetime. Chibi-Usa didn't let her pride talk. "A coup means that a lesser god will overthrow me, taking me down from my high place and stripping me of my power permanently. The world could fall into disarray if that happens. After all, I take good care of Bikini Bottom."

Not with these robots running around. He should've intervened and destroyed them before his power had been reduced. It took all of Usagi's strength to keep her expression stoic lest she anger this god. She was a naturally expressive person.

"It seems as though you know of this squirrel-bot. Tell me, what do you know of it?"

Minako stepped forward. "The robots have been making robots out of the fish around here, and it sounds like they've made a robot out of Sandy the squirrel, who was helping us defeat the robots. She was captured by the robots."

"I see." Neptune curled a finger through his mustache. "Since you were working with her, it's your fault she was captured."

Minako twitched.

"Therefore, it is your responsibility to defeat this squirrel-bot and save Atlantis."

It was indirectly Neptune's fault for not intervening and destroying the robots in the first place; as a god, he could do whatever he wanted. But Usagi said nothing, and her facial expression betrayed nothing. Maybe after they took care of the squirrel-bot and Neptune's powers were restored, he'd clear out the robots and whisk the Guardians and Tuxedo Mask to Japan. He'd be indebted to them for saving his city.

Neptune spread his hands, and lightning flashed. Wasn't Neptune too weak to use lightning? Maybe the lightning came of its own free will, not from Neptune. "Now, I will take you to my Poseidome, where the squirrel-bot is lying in wait for a challenger. And you all are the challengers. Come!"

Lightning flashed, and Usagi's world whitened. The bright light disappeared as quickly as it had come. Usagi and her friends stood in a boxing arena, just outside the ring. Not what she would've thought a Poseidome would look like. Not that she knew what a Poseidome was, but she didn't think it would look like this.

An audience surrounded the group, sitting in stands, their cheers deafening. Were all these fish cheering for Usagi and her friends?

"Hm, this isn't right." Neptune stroked his beard. "You must enter with gusto."

Entering in a bolt of lightning wasn't gusto?

"I believe that each competitor who fights has seconds, those who help the competitor heal between rounds, if I'm getting my sports right." Neptune nodded twice. "I want this match to be like those matches I see on television."

For a god who acted disinterested in the lives of fish, he seemed more invested than he liked to appear.

"Follow me. I'm afraid I'm out of energy to zap you to the locker room."

The group did so at once. They had been whipped enough by this god without his touching them.

Usagi glanced at Minako, whose shoulders were high. Tense from her outburst earlier. Hopefully, Minako wouldn't let her emotions control her during this fight.

A flash from Neptune's eyes opened the door (hadn't Neptune just said he didn't want to use any of his powers and that he didn't have any more energy?), and the group entered the locker room, which stunk of sweat.

"There are rules to this game," Neptune said. "This squirrel-bot inflicted damage on my wonderful Atlantis, so I would like some entertainment to be wrung out of this. If it looks like you're about to lose—I can't have that, or else I will look like a fool for not choosing the lesser gods to defeat this robot but puny, weak humans and fish instead—then I will change the rules to favor you. But only two people or fish at a time can enter the ring and fight the robot. Think carefully about who would work best together.

"I no longer have any interest in helping you prepare for this match. As far as I'm concerned, you can prepare yourselves while I take a much-needed massage and mani-pedi. All this lying around and not being praised has made me very tired." Another flash of lightning, and Neptune was gone.

"Selfish son of a bitch," Makoto growled.

SpongeBob and Patrick gasped, backing away from Makoto.

"She said one of the naughty words," SpongeBob said. "I'm telling Mr. Krabs when we get back."

"C'mon, you two are men," Minako said. "You can take a little cuss word every once in a while. Besides, what Mako-chan said was true."

SpongeBob tapped his chin. "I don't even know the meaning of that word, but it sounds pretty nice. Maybe it's one of those nice naughty words."

"More importantly," Mamoru said (he didn't sound irritated. Was he used to SpongeBob and Patrick by now?), "how do we prepare ourselves for this match?"

Ami sighed. "I wish I had that device that would let us survive underwater without our suits. This fight would go much more smoothly."

"Your inventing this thing will defy all physics," Makoto said. "Of course it'll take a while."

"I was hoping it would be done, at the very least, before we encountered a giant robot, like it seems we're about to do."

"The suits don't matter," Minako said. "We can fight back. We will fight back. And we'll save Sandy."

The group agreed. Thank goodness Minako wasn't putting the fight all on herself.

Chibi-Usa snapped her fingers. "Maybe Helios will come again. Or, um, not." She twiddled her thumbs. "I mean, I don't want him to come and be defeated by this robot. Maybe he's not powerful enough to beat a giant squirrel robot as strong as Sandy. And his horn might not break through the robot."

"I wanna play first." Patrick raised his hand. "Can I go in first? Please, please?"

SpongeBob cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms. "No, I'll fight first. We aren't hindered by those suits that the rest of you are wearing, and I know Sandy's attacks inside and out. After all, I've fought against her in kah-rah-tae, so I can anticipate her attacks. As long as the robots haven't programmed this Sandy-bot to do anything weird." He nudged Patrick. "Besides, I can warm her up for you, Patrick. And by warm up, I mean weaken."

"As long as I get to play."

"Who should pair up with whom," Rei said, "and who shouldn't fight?"

Everyone was silent. No one wanted to address the elephant in the room—that Minako couldn't fight because she didn't have powers.

"All right, you chickens," Minako said. "Since all of you are too afraid that you'll hurt my feelings if you say it, then I will. I won't participate because my powers aren't working."

The group remained silent, but everyone sunk with relief.

"I won't go, either," Rei said. "I don't want my powers to go haywire, and they're weaker down here. It isn't the time to test anything."

"Your attacks worked pretty well downtown," Mamoru said.

Rei winced. "I caused a lot of trouble while I was attacking, Mamoru-san."

Patrick pouted. "But I wanted to play with you, Rei."

Rei stared at Patrick. Didn't seem as enthused about playing with Patrick as Patrick was about playing with her. Her expression melted into a smile. "I'm flattered, Patrick, truly. But I don't want to hurt you."

"I won't let you hurt yourself. I'll protect you from yourself."

Rei's smile broadened. "To be honest, you frustrate me sometimes, but I think we could work well together, ironically enough. Okay, Patrick and I will team up. And if it doesn't go well, we could switch out once the round is over."

Good point. They could change combinations as they saw fit.

"I'll pair up with SpongeBob," Ami said. "We use similar attacks, and we didn't get to practice in Jellyfish Fields—I suppose we should've practiced combining our attacks instead of eating bubble pie—but we're both smart enough to figure out how to attack together. And my attacks are amplified here."

"Sounds good to me," SpongeBob said. "You all right with that, Patrick?"

Patrick snored and then, before anyone could wake him, he startled awake, snorting. "Yes, yes, I'm awake, yes, SpongeBob, of course I want the cake."

"That's Patrick-speak for, 'I'm fine with that, SpongeBob.'"

SpongeBob and Patrick must be such good friends that they'd created their own language.

"Uh-huh…" Chibi-Usa turned to Usagi. "Anyhow, we transform together, we share an attack… I think it makes sense if we team up."

"Agreed." Usagi wanted to protect her daughter, prove that she was as capable of protecting others as Mamoru was.

"I'll switch out with any of you," Makoto said. "Lightning works especially well on these robots."

"I'll do the same," Mamoru said. "I have only one attack, but I can still fight well." Not that anyone ever doubted Mamoru.

Makoto punched the palm of her hand. "All right. We have our combinations."

Lightning flashed, knocking down a painting of Neptune from the wall. King Neptune appeared from the lightning. What the hell had happened to being out of energy? "I hope you all are ready, because I have lost patience and I am ready, which is all that matters." Neptune's eyes flashed, and the dressing room door ripped off its hinges, revealing the boxing ring. "Go! With style and gusto!"

"Coming out of the red corner…" The announcer's voice echoed. Usagi couldn't see where the announcer was.

The group remained where they were.

The announcer cleared his throat. "I said, _coming out of the red corner!_ "

"I think we should move," Makoto said.

So they moved.

They didn't move gracefully or intimidatingly, but they moved and managed to make their way outside. Usagi and Chibi-Usa tripped over each other's feet in an attempt to move closer to Mamoru. The group crowded in the small hallway leading to the lights, the audience, the ring. The robot.

Instead of a rock song like that played during entrances in real boxing matches, the song that played with a mish-mosh of a sea-like melody that didn't sound intimidating at all. The song wasn't painting SpongeBob, Usagi, and the rest of the group in a tough light. It wasn't helping Usagi's confidence, either, making her feel like a little girl instead of a powerful Guardian.

Minako walked ahead with sure, heavy-footed steps, steel-faced.

"Look at them go, folks," the announcer said. Now Usagi could see the fish clad in a suit and tie. In front of him, a microphone hung by a wire from the ceiling. "With such conviction. Such poise."

Usagi slipped and nearly fell facedown, tripping Makoto, who stumbled. Tripping Minako, who stumbled, facial expression remaining stoic.

Despite the absurdity of it all, this situation was serious. If Minako was taking it so seriously… But her seriousness could be a result of guilt.

Today was not the day for Minako to be dominated by her emotions.

The group waddled into the ring, clambering between the ropes, Mamoru climbing in first and then helping the rest of the group into the ring to prevent further embarrassment. Usagi panted. She had to start running or jumping or something for exercise.

The announcer fish stood outside of the ring, near the ropes. Was that fish standing? Usagi peered to look. It was standing on its fin, head pointed upward, toward the microphone. The most realistic-looking fish (realistic in the sense that the announcer looked like fish in humans' photos) that the group had seen.

King Neptune floated beside the ring, hands perched on his hips.

The audience booed.

"In this corner," the announcer said over the boos, the catcalls, the insults, "a small square guy, a round pink guy, and their little human friends."

"That small square guy is the one who caused this whole robot mess," someone in the crowd shouted. The boos became louder, and SpongeBob deflated.

"He's a traitor to the whole fish race, bringing those humans over here."

The crowd chanted, "Trait-or. Trait-or." SpongeBob folded into himself.

Makoto ground her teeth. Minako and Mamoru kept their expressions stony, Mamoru setting his jaw. Did the audience have to bring these things up at a time like this?

"Don't let them get to you, SpongeBob," Usagi said. "They don't matter right now. It's only us against the robot. We're the only ones who can save Sandy."

SpongeBob averted his gaze to the mat.

"And in this corner…"

A squirrel-bot quadruple Mamoru's size broke through the doorframe at the opposite end of the Poseidome, it was so large, a gaggle of Fodders, G-Loves, and Ham-mers at its sides, some running ahead of it but being crushed by its paws.

"How dare you?" Neptune barked. "I'd shock you with my powerful lightning, but I've commanded this group to defeat you, so I'll have to settle for whatever fearsome punishment they have in store for you."

On all-fours, the squirrel-bot charged toward the boxing ring, its paws imprinting the metal floor, quaking the ground with each step it took. A grin split its face, green radar-like eyed aglow. Its mouth resembled loudspeakers, buck teeth in the middle of its speakers, like the real Sandy. An antenna sat atop its helmet instead of a flower.

"…a giant robot shaped like a squirrel," the announcer finished. The crowd kept booing, but for SpongeBob, their chants of "Trait-or" filling the Poseidome. SpongeBob covered two of his holes. Shut his eyes, slumping to the floor.

SpongeBob was in no condition to fight first.

"Listen, Ami-chan," Makoto said, "like I said earlier, electricity is pretty effective against these robots. Combined with your water attacks, we can defeat this robot quickly. The only thing is, Sandy, wherever she is, might feel the effects of our attacks, too. I don't want anything awful to happen to her."

"Let's try to find her and save her before we go after the robot," Ami said. "I wonder if she's still in one of those vats in that lab."

Minako cringed. "That's a long way to go to save her. But we have to save her, so we have to go there and at least check. Maybe a few of us can leave the Poseidome for a while—"

"Absolutely not." Neptune spread his arms. Minako whipped around, daring to scowl at the god. But the god didn't have many of his powers left, thanks to his vanity and ego not being caressed like a baby. "I brought you here myself, and you shall not leave until you defeat this robot."

Usagi no longer cared if Neptune was a god or not. She would find her way out of the Poseidome, out of Atlantis, to save Sandy.

"If it eases your nerves a bit, I did see a live squirrel—well, sleeping squirrel—thrown inside the robot earlier by other devilish robots."

"That's stupid," Rei said, "to put her in there."

"These robots know what they're doing. That squirrel-bot became ten times stronger after the squirrel was put inside, learning how to lasso and use karate and wrestle."

Ami cupped her chin. "Does that mean that the closer Sandy is to the robot, the more powerful it is?"

"Cease all this useless speculation and planning." Neptune thrust an arm to the ring. "It is time to go and fight."

Ami and Makoto nodded at each other. Makoto boosted Ami into the ring and then Makoto jumped in. Hopefully, after Robo-Sandy was defeated, the robots would think twice about capturing the Guardians or their friends.

Because the Guardians would not be merciful.

* * *

Ami stood before Robo-Sandy, Makoto standing beside her, a sure-footed presence in the face of this giant robot.

The referee stood in the middle, looking between and the Robo-Sandy. "The rules were explained to you in the locker room. I want a good, clean fight, folks. Keep yourself guarded at all times."

Ami and Makoto nodded. Robo-Sandy buzzed. A sound of understanding?

"Tap gloves."

Ami and Makoto remained where they were, not daring to near the robot. Trying to tap gloves with Robo-Sandy might result in getting punched.

On two legs, Robo-Sandy ran to the middle of the ring, near the referee. With its paw, it karate-chopped the referee onto the mat and then swatted him sideways, through a poster of Robo-Sandy. Were fish cheering for Robo-Sandy, believing SpongeBob was a traitor and wanting to see the sponge punished?

The bell rang. A clock reading, "3:00"—three minutes—began to count down.

They had three minutes to defeat Robo-Sandy. Maybe more if King Neptune was merciful.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," Chibi-Usa said behind her, "but wouldn't it be better if we fought without rules and restrictions, like without that clock? We could fight to exhaustion, and that would make things more entertaining for you."

"Possibly," King Neptune said, "but I would also like to see as many of you fight as possible and study your abilities." A shriek from Chibi-Usa. Ami and Makoto looked over their shoulders. King Neptune had pressed his face into Chibi-Usa's, making her fall onto her bottom. Mamoru, Usagi, and the rest of the Guardians surrounded Chibi-Usa, ready to defend her if King Neptune snapped. "In other words, don't question me because I know perfectly well what I'm doing."

What a god, making things hard for his enjoyment.

Three metallic stomps echoed throughout the arena, and a shadow darkened Ami and Makoto. Robo-Sandy stood over them, poised to chop both Guardians in half. The robot jumped, arm coming down alongside its body.

Ami and Makoto ran in opposite directions. Robo-Sandy slammed onto the mat, a shockwave knocking Ami onto her back. Robo-Sandy blocked Makoto, so she couldn't see what had happened to her fellow Guardian. Ami pushed herself onto her feet, only for Robo-Sandy to smack its forearm into Ami's upper torso, felling her onto her back once more, saliva spraying from her mouth and splattering on her helmet.

She was not going to be useless like she had been against King Jellyfish and the robots.

"Shine Snow Illusion!" Water blasted out from her hands and froze into ice, smashing into the robot, ice shards cracking the robot's helmet. Robo-Sandy recoiled, staggering backward, wheeling its arms. The helmet kept cracking, and Ami kept shooting; maybe the robot wouldn't be able to survive without its helmet.

"A blast of ice is giving the robot trouble," the announcer said. "How will it fight back?"

Robo-Sandy swiveled around, its back to Ami and Makoto. Sailor Jupiter hovered in the air, aiming her hands at the robot, electricity crackling within, growing. She threw the ball of electricity toward the robot's head.

The robot plucked its head off its neck, Jupiter's electricity whizzing between its neck and its head, exploding against the wall, debris falling, a cry coming from Neptune. Robo-Sandy threw its head into the crowd, where its head bowled over several fish. Robo-Sandy's body jumped, facing Sailors Mercury and Jupiter. It gestured toward itself, like it was saying, "Come and get me now."

"Apparently, the robot has decided to fight back by turning its back and taking off its head. A brilliant strategy."

What the robot had done was foolish. With its head was turned, it couldn't see. Unless there was a genius to the robot's move that Ami didn't realize.

"I have an idea, Mako-chan. I'll fly to the robot's head and shatter its helmet. Could you stay here and distract it for me, please?"

"Sure thing."

Ami gathered energy, a light blue aura surrounding her, and then took to the air. The helmet had stilled…until someone in the stands holding a bag of popcorn tripped over his own feet and tumbled down, the popcorn swirling behind him. The fish rolled into the robot's helmet, propelling Robo-Sandy's head downward. Ami gasped. That head was moving much faster than physics dictated that it should; in fact, physics dictated that that fish shouldn't have been heavy enough to move that head. But physics didn't work in Bikini Bottom.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt," the announcer said. "I felt that from over here. Quite an attack from an innocent fish who needn't involve himself in these affairs." He blew his nose, the horn-like noise louder than the fish's hollers and cheers. "What a selfless sacrifice, inserting himself into such a dangerous, unpredictable situation, even though the fight's been taken outside the ring. According to King Neptune, fighting outside the ring is legal."

"Hey," the referee said from wherever he had ended up. "I'm the ref here. I'm supposed to announce the rules."

"Excuse me?" Neptune boomed.

"Uh, I mean, I'm the little insignificant guy here. I'm supposed to shut up and be quiet and bow down to the almighty King Neptune."

If fighting outside the ring was allowed, and the ring couldn't protect the audience, then what was the point of having a ring?

The head barreled toward the announcer and King Neptune, Robo-Sandy's body spinning. The god's eyes bulged. Neptune snapped his fingers and disappeared in lightning (what had happened to him being too weak to tie his shoes?).

"A giant robot squirrel's head rolling towards me," the announcer said. "What a way for Johnny Elaine to go, crushed between—"

With the announcer narrating his own death, he couldn't move out of the way. Ami dove to the announcer fish, used all her strength to heave the announcer away from the head, which clanged on the side of the ring, the microphone's wire tangling around the head. Ami placed the announcer in the stands. Another microphone descended from the ceiling.

"Johnny's been saved by this generous human whose name we ought to learn," the announcer said.

The other fish didn't know their names yet? To be fair, Ami hadn't learned their names, either. But she couldn't stroke on her ego. Had to focus on saving the others.

Ami launched Shine Aqua Illusion onto the helmet. Combined with the electricity from the microphone and the water conducting that electricity, the head was shocked, electricity darting around it.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

More electricity surrounded the helmet, shot up to the ceiling, where a square orange scoreboard was suspended, reading, "Robot Sandy: -5" and "Team SpongeBob and his Little Human Friends: +5." The time on the scoreboard also continued to count down. Only a minute and a half left in the round.

"Ah, nice electric ball flying thing move from the human in that weird green costume that can't offer much protection," the announcer said. In a way, he was right. The Guardians' miniskirts weren't protective, although they were durable, withstanding many an enemy's beams and flames. In all of Mercury's fights, her miniskirt had never been burnt or ripped off.

The scoreboard creaked. Robo-Sandy's body ran to its head, grabbed it, rolled it on the mat, dissolving the electricity despite Mercury and Jupiter continuing to launch their attacks. The mat must be made of rubber. The body pulled back one of the ring's ropes and snapped it, the rope blurring. White-hot pain flashed through Mercury's torso, and she and Jupiter flew backward, Jupiter hollering. The Guardians crashed into the stands, Ami falling on someone, the fish's carton of popcorn flipping through the air and landing on Ami's helmet, popcorn raining in her vision.

"Hey, get your own box o' popcorn," the fish behind her said. What on earth made that fish think that, in a life-or-death situation, Ami would be concerned with popcorn?

"Keep going, guys!" Chibi-Usa called.

"Right, don't give up," Usagi said.

"You can do it," Rei said.

Robo-Sandy, having put out the electricity, propped the helmet back on its shoulders. It jumped toward Mercury and Jupiter. Toward the audience.

"Seems that the robot has recovered its head," the announcer said. "Its fighting could become that much more effective."

All the fish screamed and scattered, the fish behind Ami kicking the back of Ami's helmet as he scrambled to get away. Ami didn't blame them for not trying to help Ami or Makoto.

Robo-Sandy spread its arms and legs like an eagle. About to crush them.

"Not if I can help it," Sailor Jupiter said, like she had read Ami's mind. Makoto stood, raising her hands. Ami copied Jupiter's stance.

"Shine Snow Illusion!" Ice shards hailed onto Robo-Sandy, Ami pulsing more energy into her attack. Her energy, combined with her attacks being more effective in Bikini Bottom, encased the robot in ice. Unfortunately, the laws of physics in Bikini Bottom were not bent enough so that Robo-Sandy stopped in midair.

Robo-Sandy crushed the stairs and the seats, ice shards flying, knocking fish upside their heads, freezing them in mid-stride.

Jupiter kept her hands aimed at Robo-Sandy, glanced at the fish. Reluctant to launch more attacks because she was afraid that her electricity would spread to the fish.

The crowd began to boo once more, and chants of "Trait-or!" echoed throughout the Poseidome.

"A surprising turn of events. Now the audience believes the human in blue to be a traitor." The announcer was venturing into Captain Obvious territory.

Ami stepped back, biting her lip. She hadn't meant to… She didn't think her stronger attacks would hurt the civilians.

Robo-Sandy flailed, kicking other fish, sending them flying through signs. It was like a scene out of an action novel, fish flying, screams and boos echoing, chants accusing Ami and Makoto of being traitors welling up.

Ami refused to allow these fish to believe she, Makoto, or SpongeBob were traitors.

"Shine Aqua Illusion," she whispered. Less pressurized jetstreams of water flew from her hands, and she spun in a circle, drenching and melting the frozen fish. The ones who had been in mid-stride kept moving like they'd never been frozen. The boos and chants died down, replaced with cheers. Thank goodness these fish seemed to change their minds easily—or their easily changed minds would end up being to Ami and her friends' detriment, perhaps in the next few minutes if they accidentally hurt the fish again.

"And the blue human has saved everyone," Johnny said. "Nice move."

Jupiter grabbed one of Robo-Sandy's arms, stilling that arm. Jupiter ground her teeth, lifting Robo-Sandy a foot off the ground (had Jupiter gotten stronger?) and shoved the robot backward. It was a small shove—a large shove for Makoto, but a weak one for the robot—but a weak shove was all it took for Robo-Sandy to tumble backward, the aisles and stands near the robot clear thanks to Robo-Sandy almost crushing everyone earlier. Robo-Sandy crashed into the arena, and the scoreboard above rattled, creaked, bounced off Robo-Sandy's stomach, rolling into the corner of the ring.

The bell rang.

"That's the end of round one," Johnny said.

"Everyone, go back to your neutral corners," the referee said. Where had he ended up?

Ami and Makoto ran back to their friends, Mamoru and Minako putting two stools in the corner. Ami and Makoto dropped onto the stools. Ami hadn't realized how much Robo-Sandy had taken out of her in those three minutes. She had a newfound respect for boxers.

Ami peered up. Robo-Sandy collapsed, on its buttocks, in its corner, not waiting for a stool to be put down. Smaller robots hurried to the holes in Robo-Sandy's body, the scorched parts of its torso where the electrocution had done its damage, to its cracked helmet. Their hands blurred, nuts and bolts scattering, as the robots repaired as much damage as possible before the next round began.

SpongeBob put a cold compress to Ami's forehead. Felt good, even though she hadn't been hit there directly. "How you feeling?"

"Good," Ami said. Which was the truth.

Makoto heaved out a breath. "Same here. I feel like I could go another round."

SpongeBob's eyes lit up. "I just might take you up on that offer."

"But I won't take your place, SpongeBob. You need to get out there and fight."

SpongeBob's pupils contracted, and he focused on Robo-Sandy. He gulped. "M-me?" His voice had heightened by several octaves.

"Yes, you. The audience may not believe in you, but we do. You need to prove them wrong."

"And if you noticed," Ami said, "after I saved the fish, they started cheering for me instead of booing."

SpongeBob nodded slowly. "I did notice that. Man, here I was all ready to give you a pep talk, and here you are giving me a pep talk instead." His voice deepened into that heroic voice, a wind that affected only SpongeBob blowing. "But I shall give you that pep talk anyhow. Hold this compress."

Ami did.

SpongeBob massaged her shoulders. For a sponge with small hands, his massage relaxed her as much as a professional massager's would. "What're ya doin' out there?" His voice sounded rough, scratchy like a trainer's. "I saw the way that robot took advantage of you. That was a terrible opening, just terrible, Ami. Watcha gotta do is always be on guard. Always. And let those fists and attacks fly. You may be shy when you talk to people, but you can't be shy in the ring, because the ring is not the same as talking. Got it?"

Ami couldn't help but giggle. "Got it."

"What're you gigglin' about? This is serious business."

A smile snaked onto Makoto's face.

SpongeBob whipped his head toward Makoto. "And what're you smilin' about? You were just as bad at some points. What were you doin' in the middle o' that fight, lettin' Ami take on all the responsibility instead of letting your attacks fly? You were hovering there, not doing a thing. Support your teammate."

"I was." Anger ran underneath Makoto's voice. If SpongeBob wasn't her friend, if he wasn't adorable, she would've shouted at him; she hated being accused of not being strong enough to protect her friends.

SpongeBob took his hand off Ami's shoulder for a moment to wag a finger in front of Makoto's face. Makoto drew back, scowling. "Don't you back-sass me, young lady. And don't make that face, neither. I'm your trainer, so listen to me."

"Looks like SpongeBob grew a pair," Minako said under her breath. Rei snickered.

Usagi covered Chibi-Usa's ears. "There are innocent children here."

"So," Makoto said, "since you've found the courage to yell at us and give us all this advice, you should take your own and go out there and fight yourself. Use that same energy you used to yell at us out there in the ring."

SpongeBob's voice heightened several octaves once more, like he'd been hit where his grown pair was. "Uh, I don't think so." He pointed toward the entrance. "Actually, I'd better get back to the pineapple to feed Gary. I'll cheer you on from the comfort and, most importantly, the safety of my own home." He scrambled, legs wheeling in a blur, in an attempt to run. Neptune flew before him, his appearance making SpongeBob yelp and fall onto his back.

"I don't think so," Neptune said. "I summoned you here for a purpose, and you will stay here until your purpose is fulfilled."

SpongeBob gulped thrice. "Yes, Your Godliness."

"Good. You all are doing a fine job at keeping myself and my audience entertained. And this is being broadcast all over Bikini Bottom so, if I'm enjoying this spectacle, I'm sure all the lowly citizens who believe singing dogs are entertaining are also enjoying the show." He returned to his spot near Johnny.

Makoto grit her teeth. "He thinks this is all _entertaining?_ This is life or death for us." SpongeBob nodded rapidly.

"And he called it a spectacle," Usagi said, "like this is a circus instead of a fight to save his Poseidome and Atlantis." Her face grew wistful, her eyes becoming distant. "It'd be a shame if Atlantis were destroyed as soon as we discovered it."

It sure would. Ami had to keep records of the Poseidome and Atlantis somehow. If only she had a camera. Could her Mercury Goggle take pictures?

"But it is entertaining, and it is like going to a circus," Patrick said. "It's like playing a game. Actually, I wanna play next."

SpongeBob's face brightened; he'd found an escape route. Pushing Patrick forward, he said, "Yes, let Patrick play next. I'll play after him, promise." He cracked his knuckles, touched his toes. "I need to warm up first." If he was lucky, then Patrick and Rei would end it, and he wouldn't need to fight at all.

Rei looked the sponge up and down, focusing on his bubble wand. "I bet you do."

"It's okay to be scared, SpongeBob," Chibi-Usa said. "I'm scared a lot of the time. But remember, you're going in with a partner, not alone."

"Yeah. I guess I need to remember that." His eyes shifted. He was still uncertain, still unconfident.

Rei released a breath. "Fine. Patrick and I will go next."

Good idea. Patrick had a lot of energy that could be put to destructive use. With Patrick, they could knock out Robo-Sandy in the next round.

Or the idea might not be so good. Patrick could let his playful thinking best him, causing him to make mistakes that he wouldn't make if he were taking the fight seriously.

A whistle blew. "Seconds out!" The referee had recovered and stood near King Neptune, perhaps hoping to be saved or teleported in case any paws threatened to punch or slap him again. Too bad the referee didn't realize what type of god Neptune was.

Ami and Makoto stood, Mamoru and Minako pulling the stools out of the ring. Both Guardians jumped from the ring, and Rei and Patrick replaced them, Rei climbing inside, Patrick jumping inside, propping Rei onto her feet. Rei didn't scowl like she usually did when others touched her. Was she warming up to Patrick, or was she tolerating his antics?

"Good luck," Ami said. Because with Patrick on Rei's side, who knew how the fight would play out?

* * *

The smaller robots scurried out from Robo-Sandy like the cockroaches they were, leaving the robot, Rei, and Patrick inside the ring.

The rings were much smaller in real life than they appeared to be on television. Not that Rei watched television much. On the rare occasions when she did, mostly at Usagi's house (seemed like Usagi spent most of her time watching mind-draining television and playing video games to escape from the burden and responsibility of being the Moon Princess), and she'd happened to see boxing on, the rings looked big. Not the case in real life, where only a few human-sized steps would land her near her opponent. Perhaps because the audience came to see a bloody, intense fight, and the boxing authorities wanted to make it difficult to escape from opponents.

The referee remained near King Neptune. The god pushed the referee forward, the referee falling flat on his face.

"What're you standing around for?" King Neptune said. "I didn't summon you to stand next to me the whole night. Get in there and be a referee."

"Yes, Mr. God, sir, yes." The referee scrambled, his feet struggling to gain purchase on the ground, slipping a few times before standing. He hesitated, gulping at Robo-Sandy, the robot flipping onto its feet, quaking the ground, staggering not only Rei and Patrick but also the audience. Several audience members fell. The fish who Ami had run into earlier, having bought another bucket of popcorn, fell, his popcorn falling and rolling down the stairs, the fish chasing the popcorn, reaching for it. Never mind that he was running toward the dangerous ring. Foolish fish.

If there was a chance that Robo-Sandy wouldn't interpret her move as an assault and attack her, Rei would help the referee inside the ring. His getting slapped was enough abuse, and he didn't need verbal abuse from Neptune to go with it. Neptune was an insufferable bastard.

The referee clambered inside, shaking. Walked haltingly toward Robo-Sandy, gulping in time with every step he took. Rei edged forward. If need be, she would save the referee.

The referee looked to Rei and Patrick. "Are you ready?"

"To play?" Patrick bounced up and down. "Of course. I wanted to play as soon as I saw this strange-looking robot." He scratched his head. "It looks awfully familiar, but I can't quite place who it looks like."

When Rei thought that he had said the most stupid thing he would ever say, Patrick exceeded her expectations and topped the most stupid thing he said before.

The referee's eyes moved to Rei. "Are you?"

"Yes." Rei glared at Robo-Sandy. The fire burning within her was leaping, ready to burst, mostly at the smaller robots that had accompanied Robo-Sandy. They were responsible for bringing Robo-Sandy here, for capturing Sandy and doing who-knew-what to her. Rei hadn't even been there when Sandy was captured, but she was as angry as Minako and Makoto were. "Yes" was an understatement. Rei wanted to burn these robots alive.

The referee mechanically turned toward Robo-Sandy. "A-a-a-a—"

Someone rang the bell. Robo-Sandy stepped to the referee in two strides. Rei took off her glove and aimed, but Robo-Sandy kicked the referee into the ring's ropes behind Rei and Patrick, the referee shooting past Rei and Patrick in a blur. The referee sprung off the ropes, blurring past Rei and Patrick once more.

"Spur-ring!" the announcer said unnecessarily. "The robot couldn't wait for that bell to ring. It's raring to fight."

Robo-Sandy kicked the referee toward Rei and Patrick.

"Catch him, Patrick," Rei said. "It's part of the game the robot wants you to play."

Patrick's eyes lit up. "Game?" The starfish jumped in front of the referee and caught him, lifting the referee above his head. "Yay, we're playing 'Catch.' I love this game." He lifted the referee over his head. "Back to you, Mr. or Mrs. Robot. I can't tell whether you're a boy or a girl."

"No, Patrick," Rei said. "Give him to the announcer guy instead. He wants to play, too."

"I didn't hear him say the magic words."

A vein popped onto Rei's forehead. "And what are the magic words?" she ground out between grit teeth.

"Alakazama—"

Robo-Sandy thrust itself onto the ground, quaking the ring more vigorously than before.

"Blooo!" Patrick finished, losing grip of the referee. The referee fell onto Patrick's head, knocking the starfish down onto Rei. They toppled in a heap.

Had Rei been in her right mind when she agreed to work with him, or was she willing to be frustrated and gain a desire to hurt Patrick herself?

The referee scurried off Rei and Patrick, flipping both onto their backs, and then leaped out of the ring, telling Neptune, "They were gonna kill me, Your Highness."

The robot's shadow fell over Rei and Patrick. Thanks to Patrick messing around, Rei and Patrick were about to be crushed.

But Rei's glove was still off. The fire because of the robots' capturing Sandy and Patrick's stupidity was gnawing her insides. Had to _get out now._

"Mars Snake Fire!" Fire burst out of Rei's hands, narrow like a snake. The fire snake wrapped around Robo-Sandy's arms, binding them, heating its suit so that Robo-Sandy's suit reddened. The robot screamed, a tinny noise echoing throughout the arena. The audience covered their nonexistent ears.

"An awful noise emanates from the robot as the human's fire wraps around it," the announcer said. "That's gotta sting."

Rei scowled. _My attack more than stings, you simpleton._ The announcer couldn't imagine how deadly Sailor Mars' attacks were.

"Ooh, it glows," Patrick said, the fire reflected in his eyes, crackling. "How pretty."

Her attacks were too deadly to be pretty.

In its agony, Robo-Sandy staggered, tripped over its own feet, fell toward Rei and Patrick.

Even Patrick couldn't catch a giant robot. "Come on, Patrick, we have to run."

Patrick held out both hands. He was going to try and catch a robot that was five times larger than him. "No, I can catch her. Besides, you guys said that Sandy might be hurt every time you guys hurt her or something, right? Then I want to make sure that she doesn't get hurt as badly."

Rei's expression softened. "I thought you thought this was a game."

"Yeah, but—"

Robo-Sandy descended. If Patrick couldn't catch the robot, then Rei would be crushed, too. Still, she remained in place. She couldn't leave Patrick after his realization that everything might not be a game.

"I'll help." Rei held out her hands even though she didn't have one muscle that was strong enough to catch this robot.

Patrick brightened. "Yay, we're playing together. I was gonna ask if you wanted to join me."

Sandy fell. On Rei's arms first, since hers were longer than Patrick's. Her arms buckled, threatening to snap off their sockets.

Was this going to be the worst mistake Rei made? She liked to think of herself as a rational person; she never did things like trying to catch a giant robot that she obviously couldn't catch.

"Rei-chan, no!"

"Rei, what're you doing?"

Rei's knees buckled next, and she collapsed to her knees. All the willpower in the world couldn't keep her up.

Maybe her own stupidity was the price of being in Patrick's company.

She hadn't thought through her pushing against a giant robot. Now her friends might try to jump in the ring to help her, defying King Neptune's rules. Despite what the god said, he was powerful enough to fry her friends into charred caricatures of themselves.

Patrick was teaching her something, too. She wasn't quite sure what it was—to loosen up a bit?

Putting herself in a life-threatening situation wasn't her idea of loosening up. It was the epitome of stupidity.

The robot slammed onto the palms of Patrick's hands. Patrick groaned, veins popping his narrow, empty-seeming head. The first time she had seen him strain.

"You're…playing…a great…game…" Patrick ground out. "But your turn's over, Mr. or Mrs. Robot. It's my turn now." His biceps swelled, veins popping from his biceps, weaving down his arms. Patrick pushed, taking most of the burden from Rei.

Despite Patrick's power, the starfish needed Rei's help. Power wasn't Rei's strong suit. Fire was.

And the fire in her was leaping, thanks to Patrick's concern for her.

The attack came out; Rei didn't have a name for it. The fire represented her love toward her friends.

Her friends included the Sailor Team. Included Mamoru.

Included SpongeBob. Included Sandy.

Even Patrick.

The flames didn't seem to be weakened by Bikini Bottom. A narrow train of flames, like Mars Snake Fire, but breaking up into several smaller fireballs, like Burning Mandala, exploded in succession on Robo-Sandy's upper chest. Robo-Sandy reeled backward, screaming. Patrick pushed the robot back farther.

Sandy's scream emerged from the robot's scream, mixing with the robot's scream.

Patrick gasped, his power faltering. "Sandy."

The robot began to fall forward once more.

Rei forced a laugh, hoping her laugh sounded convincing. "It's just a game, Patrick, a game, remember? Sandy can't feel our attacks as much as it sounds like she can." Which probably wasn't true, but Patrick needed to fight at his full power.

"Ah, that's right. Let's play some more." Patrick shoved. Robo-Sandy slammed on its back, flailing, its head snapping off and rolling. The starfish pointed at the head. "Look at it go." He ran toward the head, Rei wanting to keel over and catch her breath and make sure her arms were attached.

The thing was, she probably would do something as daring and reckless as catching a robot with her bare hands if her friends were in danger.

Was supporting her friends stupid?

Rei couldn't think about such a question in the heat of battle. Patrick picked up Robo-Sandy's head, looking around. His eyes settled on the fallen scoreboard in the corner of the ring. He looked from the head, to the scoreboard, and back.

"Looks like it should be plugged in there." He threw the head to the scoreboard's wires, the wires plugging into the head. Electricity surrounded the head. Robo-Sandy writhed, its head and body reddening.

Here was a chance to find and rescue Sandy.

Rei would start searching inside the robot. Quickly, before it recovered its head.

Robo-Sandy's body spun in place, outstretching its arms.

Rei sped toward Robo-Sandy. Robo-Sandy's body stopped, facing its head. It gestured toward its head, which flew toward its neck.

Rei gaped. What had these smaller robots installed Robo-Sandy with to make parts of its body able to fly?

Nevertheless, Rei channeled more energy, pushing herself to fly faster. Hovered in front of the head, near a hole in its neck leading to the inside. A faint, eerie glow lit the inside, but the glow wasn't bright enough for her to see Sandy.

Rei pulled off her other glove. Flames sparked in her hands. "Burning Man—"

A ball of pink caught her eye.

Patrick was climbing up Robo-Sandy's body, grabbing crevices in the robot's armored suit.

"I'll save ya, Rei." Patrick grunted, pushing himself near the acorn on Robo-Sandy's suit. "I won't let the bad head hit ya."

Rei appreciated Patrick's heartfelt gesture, but not his idiocy.

Fire burst from Rei's hands, spreading into smaller balls of flame and exploding on the robot's flying head. The head didn't stop flying, and its body stomped its feet. Losing his balance, Patrick hollered, spiraling off the robot and slamming to the mat. Rei could hear the _thud_ from yards away.

Patrick groaned. "What beautiful hot wings you have, sir."

Yup, Patrick was done.

The robot flailed, smacking Rei toward the head. Rei crashed into the side of the helmet, stars exploding in her vision. The audience gasped, cringed.

"Oooh!" the announcer said. "That's gotta sting even more."

Oh, yes, it stung. They must be paying the announcer a ton of money to point out the obvious.

The heat from Rei's own attack combined with her getting hit by a giant head did not create a pleasant sensation.

Rei careened backward, spinning.

Despite her pain, she hoped the round wouldn't end. She had a lot to teach this robot.

Rei parted her eyes as she flew toward the scattering audience. Robo-Sandy caught its head but then dropped it, toward Patrick, stomping harder from the heat. Unless he got his mind off hot wings, the starfish would be crushed.

Patrick remained as still as the dead. Showed no sign of waking up anytime soon.

"Hey, Patrick," Rei shouted. "I have pizza."

Patrick's bloodshot eyes shot open. "Pizza?" His eyes settled on the flying head.

"Allyouhavetodoisdodgethathead." If she had said it any slower, then the head would crush the starfish.

"Do I get a bonus prize if I catch it?"

Before Rei could say that the head would burn his arms off so he wouldn't be able to enjoy any bonus prizes, Patrick outstretched his arms and caught the head.

"Do I get two pizzas and roast beef if I throw it?" Patrick threw the head into Robo-Sandy's torso, barreling the robot onto the ground, its fingers touching the scoreboard's wires. It writhed once more.

"Nice move by Patrick and, I guess, his human friend wearing a miniskirt, who I supposed helped too."

Of course Rei had helped. Was the announcer deaf?

Pain burst on Rei's back, knocking the wind from her. She had landed on the stairs of the audience stands. Now she had to get inside Robo-Sandy and save Sandy and destroy the robot, all while Robo-Sandy was incapacitated, and the Guardians, SpongeBob, and Patrick would win.

Rei flew toward Robo-Sandy. Time to finish the fight and rescue Sandy.

The bell rang.

"Time!" the referee said.

Rei groaned. She was almostthere. If she wasn't afraid King Neptune would strike her with lightning, then she'd break the rules and save Sandy anyhow. Because saving Sandy didn't matter if she lost her own life in the process to a lazy god.

"Ah, and the referee calls time just as it seems like this match was about over," the announcer said. Thanks for rubbing it in her face. "Saved by the bell for the robot. Not so much for this strange human female and the round starfish."

The referee pointed to each corner. "Go back to your neutral corners."

Rei landed, walked back to her corner, Patrick falling in step beside her. They both collapsed onto the stools that Minako and Mamoru placed under them; they couldn't have put them down fast enough. Rei hadn't realized how tired she was. But she should've expected the tiredness that crushed her like a weight. After all, along with Patrick, she had fought a fifty-foot tall robot.

Along with Patrick. A few hours ago, walking with Patrick seemed impossible without her strangling the starfish. Now, fighting was (almost) no problem.

She smiled at the starfish. "Good job, Patrick. We fought well together." He had unlocked her hidden stupidity mode, but they had almost won.

"Fighting?" Patrick placed a finger on his chin. "I thought we were playing a game to save Sandy from the evil monkey man from the ninth dimension."

Rei's smile broadened. "Sure." She had gotten used to Patrick by now, and she wasn't going to change him, so she might as well enjoy him. And she was genuinely enjoying him. Dare she say that she wouldn't mind spending an afternoon with him. Their conversations would be…something to behold, but they'd have fun together.

"And where's my two pizzas with roast beef?"

"I'll give them to you tomorrow."

SpongeBob ran behind Patrick, throwing a cold compress over his head, making it look like he was wearing a dunce cap. "All righty, then, good job out there." He tossed his head toward Ami and Makoto. "You certainly did better than those two maggots."

"Insulting us when we're standing right here…" Ami said.

"But they must've been an example to you, an example not to be that bad. So you did better. And you almost won." SpongeBob thrust his head into Rei's face, veins protruding from his neck, and yelled, "But almost isn't good enough," blowing back Rei's hair, spittle splattering on her face.

Rei gave SpongeBob a look that was as sharp as a sword. The fire in her was about to leap out. Not because of a desire to protect, but because of anger at SpongeBob's invading her personal space.

SpongeBob must've seen the look on her face, because he drew back, placing his hands and knees on the mat and saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Please don't burn my face off. I was just having some fun. I didn't mean any of it." He hugged her leg. "Please, have mercy upon me," he sobbed against her leg.

Rei broke into a smile, her anger and fire evaporating. "I won't burn you, SpongeBob." Despite his and Patrick's quirks, she liked them without understanding why. Rei could see why Squidward seemed to not like them, but at the same time… Rei shouldn't like SpongeBob and Patrick. They weren't her type of people—fish. But she did. She wanted to put her all into protecting and helping them fight the robots.

When she first landed in Bikini Bottom and found out about the robots devastating their land, if she had had a chance to return to Japan, then she would've taken it, thinking that the fish here could handle their own business while the Guardians and Mamoru tended to their own. But now, she wasn't so sure. She might've decided to stay in Bikini Bottom, leaving the Dead Moon Circus to the Outer Guardians.

If only she could've rescued Sandy. She would always be indebted to SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy for saving her and her friends' lives.

She wished she could finish the fight, but it was better if someone who was fresh and energetic went.

The smaller robots worked to repair Robo-Sandy, the giant robot slumped in the stool. Robo-Sandy didn't have long to last now.

Whoever went next would finish the fight.

* * *

SpongeBob wasn't ready.

He wasn't sure he would ever be, fighting against Robo-Sandy, with its powerful attacks that had given the superhero-like Guardians trouble.

Especially fighting when his attacks would harm Sandy. How could he find the courage, the wherewithal to fight Robo-Sandy? Despite their own reservations, the Guardians and Patrick had fought the robot, but SpongeBob had the most reservations out of all of them.

SpongeBob trembled. What business did a small sponge like him have, going up against a giant robot?

Well, he had challenged a god before, the god in question summoning him because of his fry cooking skills. But before, he was doing what he did best. Although he loved kah-rah-tae, SpongeBob wasn't a fighter. He only chopped boards and occasionally sparred with Sandy. All he had was his bubble wand that wouldn't stand a chance against a robot the size of Godzilla.

A hand on his shoulder caused him to jump.

Usagi knelt beside him. "Hi, SpongeBob. How're you feeling? You fell silent all of a sudden."

He'd been courageous enough to criticize his friends, even if his acting as a second was for fun. "Well, if I recall, I did forget to feed Gary this morning." He really had forgotten to feed Gary. "But Gary's resourceful. He does pay the electric bill, so he should be able to fend for himself."

"Pay the electric bill?" Ami sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't look too much into it."

"I've learned not to look too much into a lot of things around here," Mamoru said.

"I did ask how you were feeling," Usagi said, "not whether you forgot to feed Gary."

SpongeBob tapped his fingers together. "Well, I do feel a little tired. I mean, we've been running around all day. And you know what, I feel…uh, kinda scared about facing this giant robot next. Because you all told me I had to. But I'm not warmed up yet, so maybe one of you should go first."

"I don't think so. You have to face your fears. Besides, Sandy would be offended if you didn't try to save her."

"Of course," Chibi-Usa said, "I think she'd understand if you didn't fight because you were afraid to hurt her. But I think she wouldn't mind if you hurt her to save her, if that makes sense."

"It does." SpongeBob watched the smaller robots tear nuts and bolts from Robo-Sandy in an attempt to repair it in the meager amount one minute before the next round began. Were they hurting Sandy, too, by ripping off parts of Robo-Sandy's body and throwing those nuts and bolts to the floor?

He knew better than to keep using excuses when his friend was in danger.

"Okay. I'll go." Getting out the words rattled his jaw, like his body didn't want to say them. Afraid of what would follow his words—being squished, electrocuted, torn into two, or something that was unmentionable to children.

"Great!" Usagi looked ahead, something unlocking in her eyes that SpongeBob couldn't place. "I'll help you." Her voice lost its warmth.

"You sound kinda scary," SpongeBob said. Her emotion-devoid voice wasn't helping SpongeBob's nerves.

Her eyes lit up, became full of warmth once more, as did her voice. "Oh. I'm sorry. It happens sometimes."

SpongeBob blinked at Usagi. The Guardian had been nothing but nice since she came, and now, her voice, her eyes, her body language were the first signs of anger that the sponge had seen.

He shouldn't worry about Usagi's emotions much. Usagi would never hurt anyone unless that someone was a robot.

The referee blew his whistle. "Seconds out!"

"I'll cheer as loud as I can from here," Minako said. "Go finish this."

"Patrick and I would've beaten that robot and saved Sandy if the bell didn't ring," Rei said. "That robot can't have been completely repaired by now."

"Go on, you guys," Patrick said. "Go be heroes and save the world."

"There's no way you'll lose," Chibi-Usa said. "Especially by combining your powers."

SpongeBob straightened. Yes, he could do this. With Usagi, they'd save Sandy and Atlantis.

He was ready.

The referee stomped on the floor. "Seconds out! Seconds _out!"_

"We heard you the first time," Minako barked.

SpongeBob's friends jumped out the ring, Mamoru and Minako taking the stools. Usagi remained so close that SpongeBob could feel her warmth.

SpongeBob stepped farther into the ring, toward its middle, and the audience began to boo, chanting, "Trait-or." But SpongeBob didn't let himself feel badly this time. Ami hadn't, and she'd proven the audience wrong. So had Usagi and Ami by helping Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff in Jellyfish Fields.

If his heroes could do it, so could SpongeBob.

Best of all, he wasn't alone.

"Folks, this stellar match is almost over," the announcer said. "Not because there are a certain number of rounds, but because the robot's been so badly damaged that I wouldn't be surprised if it could last only one more round."

Robo-Sandy jumped onto its feet, the robots behind it scrambling onto the floor. The robot seemed to be one-hundred percent repaired, as vigorous as it had been at the beginning of the fight.

"Calm down, SpongeBob," Usagi said. "Everyone's with you, cheering you on."

SpongeBob heard his friends above the boos, the cries accusing him of being a traitor. His friends were cheering for SpongeBob and Usagi. Despite them being few compared to the audience members, his friends' cheers permeated above the audiences' boos.

SpongeBob lifted his head, looking at Robo-Sandy, raising his bubble wand. He was more than ready.

The bell rang. SpongeBob swallowed down the fear that threatened to paralyze him.

Robo-Sandy charged.

Backward.

Away from SpongeBob and Usagi.

"What is it doing?" Usagi remained on guard, SpongeBob could see from her high shoulders, her tight grip on Moon Kaleidoscope. Stood and awaited Robo-Sandy's next move. SpongeBob did the same.

Robo-Sandy jumped backward, into the ropes, and then sprung forward, its boots and hands extending, wires bridging the gap between its shoulders and its boots and hands, its arms and legs parallel from each other.

"Spur-ring!" Johnny said. "The old clothesline move."

SpongeBob readied himself to jump. Usagi lifted SpongeBob by the arms, flew him above the robot. Robo-Sandy released one of its hands from the ropes, and its hand snapped up, smacking SpongeBob and Usagi. They careened into the ceiling, crashing into one of the lights, Usagi grunting, her back taking the brunt of the blow. Light flashed in SpongeBob's vision. Shards pierced SpongeBob—he couldn't feel dull physical attacks, but he could feel cuts and sharp objects. The shards stuck into him and, based on Usagi's hitching breath, Usagi as well. SpongeBob cried out.

Usagi and SpongeBob began to fall, Usagi holding strong to SpongeBob. Releasing itself from the ropes, Robo-Sandy flipped onto its hands and karate-kicked the duo. SpongeBob and Usagi shrieked into the opposing wall. Robo-Sandy laughed.

The audience below SpongeBob and Usagi scattered, not daring to get in the way of the fight again. One audience member said, "The traitor is trying to get us all killed and destroy Atlantis. That's why he's losing."

SpongeBob wouldn't let their insults eat away at him. He and Usagi slid down the wall. Usagi flew, unhooking one of her arms from SpongeBob's underarms.

"Rainbow Moon Heartache!" Her shout made SpongeBob's ears ring. Maybe the louder they shouted, the more powerful their attacks were. SpongeBob ought to try shouting louder sometime.

Hearts spiraled from Usagi's Moon Kaleidoscope, smashing through the robot's helmet, through Robo-Sandy's speaker-like mouth, cutting off the robot's laugh. The shards of its helmet hailed to the floor, leaving its head bare.

"It's an opening," Rei shouted. "One of you can go inside and break it from there and rescue Sandy while the other stays outside and distracts the robot."

"You go inside since you can fly and I can't," SpongeBob said. "I'll keep this robot busy."

Usagi nodded. "Okay. You can do it." She flew toward the mat.

Robo-Sandy gripped the sides of its head and popped it off. It hurled the head toward the duo.

"I can do it." SpongeBob blew into his bubble wand, waved it over his head, creating a jet-propelled helmet that rocketed him out of Usagi's grip, into the steel-like head. He accordioned against the head and then fell toward the mat. He blew bubbles over his feet.

Meanwhile, Usagi flew as fast as she could, unleashing another Rainbow Moon Heartache, the hearts spiraling into Robo-Sandy's upper torso, felling the robot onto its back, below SpongeBob. The sponge bashed his bubble feet onto its torso, denting the steel.

SpongeBob remained on Robo-Sandy. Attacking at close-range might be more effective.

Usagi's tiara, which she had regained once de-transforming and transforming again into Sailor Moon, turned end-over-end, slamming into the robot's torso, near SpongeBob, but the steel wasn't dented. A second later, Usagi floated beside SpongeBob, snatching her tiara.

An idea popped into his head. "Here." He blew a bubble around the tiara. "Try hitting it now."

Usagi's expression filled with disbelief and then she squared her face once more. "It might work, based on everything that's happened down here so far."

Robo-Sandy flailed, SpongeBob struggling to keep balance. Usagi threw her tiara, and the tiara stuck into Robo-Sandy's upper torso. The gem in her tiara glowed.

"Moon Twilight Flash!"

A beam struck through Robo-Sandy, shooting out Robo-Sandy's back, through the mat, jolting the arena.

"Oooh!" Johnny said. "A devastating combination flashing bubble thing attack from the human lady and SpongeBob."

Wires stuck out the hole left from Usagi's attack, electricity crackling around the robot. In the stands, where the head had landed, the head jerked about. The audience members had abandoned the area in which the head resided.

Chibi-Usa paled. "Is it gonna explode? What if Sandy's in there?" Her jaw dropped. "She might blow up right along with it."

"We have to save her before that happens," SpongeBob said.

Usagi was gone.

She had flown toward the robot's opening. Despite the electricity around it, it karate-chopped Usagi and karate-kicked SpongeBob, sending them barreling backward.

The electricity intensified.

"It looks like this match is just about over." The announcer sounded relieved, but panic was crushing SpongeBob. The robot's explosion could spell the end for Sandy.

* * *

Minako had to do something. SpongeBob and Usagi were having a hard time getting inside this robot, whose defense mechanism kicked into high-gear now that exploding was imminent, ironically enough. Maybe the smaller robots had designed Robo-Sandy with a mechanism that activated when it was going to explode so that others would be caught in the blast, too.

Minako couldn't fight at all.

Usagi flew once more. SpongeBob blew into his bubble wand, creating a jet-powered helmet, propelling himself. Robo-Sandy's head floated before them and blocked their way. How the hell?

Regardless, they might not be able to make it in time to save Sandy before the robot exploded.

So Minako had to be reckless one more time. Thankfully, she'd have her friends on her side.

She'd tell her friends first, not jump into the fray without warning. She wouldn't let her being powerless get in the way of her saving Sandy, especially when Sandy being captured was partially her fault.

Minako told her friends, "I'm going. Don't try to stop me. You're either coming with me or staying here. But you're not stopping me." She was expecting Makoto to manhandle her back, but her friend didn't.

Minako ran forward. Neptune appeared before her in a bolt of lightning. "Didn't I command you all that only two go in at a time?"

"Screw that!" Minako slid under Neptune's fin, Neptune's eyes bulging. She grabbed the rope and then flipped, head-over-heels. Landed on the mat. She'd be damned if she let a self-obsessed god's silly rules cost her friend.

The robot's head left a hole where its neck was. Minako veered toward the hole, ignoring the electricity as best she could, because if she focused on it, then she would make herself hesitate with fear; hesitation could be fatal for Sandy.

Robo-Sandy had knocked Usagi and SpongeBob back when they tried to get inside. If the robot did the same to Minako, then she'd be killed. But she didn't care. She had to try.

Minako neared the hole in the robot's neck. The robot's arm moved in a blur, only for lightning to strike its arm, stilling it. Minako glanced back. Electricity crackled around Makoto's raised arm. She had launched one of her own attacks.

"That's it!" Neptune roared, shaking the Poseidome. "I forbid any of you from interfering. The next one of you who tries will face my wrath."

By the time Neptune started shouting, Minako had entered the hole.

She ran through almost complete darkness, the lights from the Poseidome illuminating the way through the robot. She dodged hanging wires; didn't want to entangle herself in one of them and expedite its exploding.

The area brightened, opening into a wide-open area. Jet-propelled platforms swung around the area, perhaps to make it harder for trespassers to traverse.

More jumping. Minako was thankful that she participated in gymnastics and volleyball in school. Finally, something school was good for.

Arms and legs outstretched, Sandy hung in the middle of the robot, eyes open but blank. Ropes attached to the platform on which she hung, resembling nerve endings, were tied around each of her wrists and ankles. She flailed in time with the robot.

A Viking helmet crowned Sandy's own. Maybe the helmet was brainwashing her to unconsciously control the robot and attack her friends. Seemed like she could feel the Guardians', SpongeBob's, and Patrick's attacks, too; scars and scratches covered her body, unless those marks had been the robots' faults.

But here Sandy was. And here Minako was to save her.

The robot's eyes were transparent so that Minako could see what was happening outside. The robot stared at the ceiling, which wasn't much help right now.

Duplicatotrons stood on the ledges lining the edge of the robot, shooting Chucks.

Minako reached the end of the walkway and jumped to a floating platform. The Chucks hurled water missiles, but Minako jumped once more, landing onto the next platform. Two more and then she'd reach Sandy.

She ran to the end of the circular platform, jumped. The Chucks pelted missiles. She couldn't steer herself in midair, so whatever happened, happened. She kept her eyes on Sandy. Only her friend mattered.

One missile exploded on Minako. Water covered her vision, launched Minako sideways. She slammed onto the ledge of a platform, where one of the Duplicatotrons stood. Staggering to her feet, she punched the machine. It powered down, its sign reading "Duplicatotron 1000" falling off. Electricity crackled around it.

Minako didn't move.

The machine exploded, propelling Minako back toward where she needed to be, toward Sandy. Heat seared her, but she ignored the pain. Her side slammed onto the platform, and she slid, nearly falling off the platform but grabbing its ledge, dangling by both hands. Another missile exploded right in front of her, but she tightened her grip, allowing the water to drench her, the wind from the missile threatening to throw her off the platform, but she held fast. Because if she didn't… There was nothing below her. She didn't know where she'd end up, if she'd be able to get back up to help Sandy.

She climbed onto the surface. Sandy chopped her hand, and another explosion rocked Minako, this explosion coming from outside. Sandy recoiled, yelping, jerking in her harnesses, wanting to break free. The robot must've tried to chop another one of Minako's friends, but Minako's friends had retaliated.

Minako ran to Sandy, tore off the Viking helmet, but Sandy didn't awaken. She gripped one of the harnesses keeping Sandy captive.

The inside of Robo-Sandy flashed red and white, nearly blinding Minako.

"Defense activated," a female robotic voice said. She lost her breath. Weren't the Chucks and Duplicatotrons enough of a defense mechanism?

Minako pulled. Had to hurry more. The fiber snapped, and Sandy's arm hung down. One down, more than Minako could count to go.

She grabbed two fibers at once with both hands. Pulled, snapping them off.

Below, a steaming, red liquid bubbled. Red anything was almost never good.

At the other end of the robot, the wall slid open, darkness inside. A screeching noise echoed throughout the hollow robot, becoming louder as the seconds passed.

The liquid brightened. Moving faster than she anticipated.

Minako pulled the next fibers off, pulled others off, kept pulling them off, tugging, biting one and snapping that off to go faster, head throbbing from the strain. She grabbed, tugged, not snapping the fibers. Were these fibers becoming tougher the more she pulled off, another part of the robot's defense mechanism?

More heat began to sear Minako. The liquid below was lava, threatening to burn her alive.

Veins on Minako's arms bulged, and she pulled like she had never pulled before. The fibers snapped.

Minako ran to the last quadrant of fibers, kneeling to reach them. Pulled with her hands, clamped her teeth over one and pulled. Sandy sagged onto the ground.

The lava below burst forth.

Putting in all of her energy, Minako gave one final pull.

The rest of the fibers snapped.

Before Sandy could hit the ground, Minako swept Sandy into her arms and jumped, nanoseconds before the lava melted the platform where Minako and Sandy had been. Minako landed on the next platform and jumped onto the next one, the next one, kept jumping until she reached the walkway.

The lava behind her fell, plopping into the darkness. Minako glanced back, sprinting toward the entrance. Fire jetted forth from the open wall. Minako's eyes widened.

She ran faster than she thought she was capable of.

Her feet slammed on the metal walkway, echoing. Her track and gymnastics coach would be proud to see her moving so fast. Death was a strong motivator.

The flames closed in. Despite Minako's speed, the flames moved faster than Minako was running.

A faint light glowed in the distance. The exit.

Those flames were getting so close that they burned her back, threatened to melt her deep sea dive suit.

Minako jumped, flipping onto her back and sliding on the floor. She released a howl; her back had been burned by the flames, and sliding on her back was intensifying the pain. The slick walkway quickened her, moving her faster than she had been running. The light grew brighter and brighter, but the flames came closer and closer, the heat searing her front and, since she hugged Sandy to the front of her body, Sandy by extension. She couldn't fight against the flames. Had to get out.

Wrapping one arm across Sandy, she used her open arm to push herself, quickening her pace, the flames making her explode into sweat. She howled louder, a noise she didn't know she could make. No suitors would want to touch her if they heard her making this primal noise.

Minako emerged in the light, rolling onto the mat, the fire jetting above her, enflaming the ring's ropes. Didn't give herself a second to rest but scrambled onto her feet, jumping down from the mat, laying Sandy on the floor. She swiveled, facing the robot. Her legs shook, but the adrenaline wouldn't let them give out on her.

The rest of her friends and the smaller robots had entered the ring. Despite King Neptune's warnings, they were all fighting. Neptune's face had reddened, but he regarded them all quietly, either because of weakened powers, curiosity, or a realization that, with all the Guardians, sea creatures, and Mamoru working together, he wouldn't be able to defeat them, no matter the extent of his powers.

And if they were stronger than a god, then they were stronger than a giant robot.

Robo-Sandy fell, limp. The electricity around it became more plentiful, nearly covering the robot.

The robot sat up, swung its arm. It could still move without Sandy inside it.

"I'm gonna try one more time. Here goes." SpongeBob wheeled his arm like he was bowling, and a bubble bowling ball formed in his hand. He threw the ball, pierced through the robot's arm. The robot shattered. Broken.

More electricity surrounded it.

"It's gonna explode." Chibi-Usa whipped his head around the arena. "Where do we go? Where do we take everyone else?"

"Not on my freshly waxed floors, it won't." Neptune flew over Robo-Sandy, spreading his arms, expanding a bubble between his arms that encompassed the robot.

The robot exploded, the explosion contained in the bubble, rattling Neptune. He grinded his teeth, sweat breaking from his forehead. The smoke inside the bubble faded, leaving the robot's remnants, the acorn from its suit the only part intact.

Neptune had either saved everyone or cared only about his Poseidome. Regardless of the god's intent and motivation, the results were the same. Robo-Sandy had been defeated, and Sandy had been saved.

The bell rang three times, signifying the end of the match.

The crowd shot onto their feet, their applause and cheers deafening. Gone were their doubts about the humans, SpongeBob, and Patrick, replaced with trust. Even if they believed that SpongeBob caused the robot problem, they knew that he and his friends were doing a damn good job fixing it.

"This match is over." Johnny laughed. "What a match. We've seen teamwork, tears, stupidity, and recklessness. What do you think, King Neptune?"

Neptune pulled back his arm, retracting the bubble inside his hand. "Even though they defied my commands, it was a rather entertaining match. You humans exceeded my expectations. And so did you, SpongeBob and round pink fellow. In fact, I won't strike any of you with lightning for daring to defy me."

"I don't know what 'exceeding inspections' means," Patrick said, "but it sure does sound nice."

Relief touched Minako. Thank goodness this god wasn't planning on striking any of them with lightning after fighting a giant squirrel-bot. Minako, untransformed, probably wouldn't survive. Or she'd suffer some embarrassment, compliments of the rules of Bikini Bottom.

Sandy's eyes popped open, glazed. She blinked, squinting from the Poseidome's lights. Minako sat, still holding Sandy.

"What in tarnation just happened?" Sandy said. "I remember being taken to this lab, and then nothing." Her face fell. "Augh, I feel like I've been run over by a stampede of bulls." Sandy's pain was the smaller robots' fault. Minako looked at where the smaller robots had been. Scorch marks remained in their corner, and other scorch marks were scattered across the mat. The smaller robots must've started fighting the Guardians only to be destroyed.

Minako and Makoto took turns explaining what had happened. As she listened, Sandy remained stone-faced.

Minako ended the retelling by saying, "You don't…blame us, do you?"

Sandy let herself out of Minako's arms and stood. "Why would I? All of y'all saved me. And you, Minako, you ran inside this giant robot that was about to explode and carried me out yourself. All without your fancy li'l powers."

Minako's heart filled with warmth. Yeah. She had.

So…she hadn't needed them. All this time, Minako Aino was enough.

Yes, she had tried to fight without her powers, but she needed her friends to help her. She had tried to fight like she was an island when she wasn't.

Her powers were dependent on others, not Minako Aino alone.

A white-golden glow encased her. Chibi-Usa and Usagi gasped, SpongeBob's and Patrick's eyes becoming as wide as plates. Minako illuminated the Poseidome, her light shining on all the fish, the Poseidome's lights.

Her transformation pen floated out of her suit's pocket and hovered before her, Artemis reflected in it. Her white cat, her own Guardian, was with her, even if he was thousands of miles away.

"I finally got through to you."

"Artemis!" Minako said. He must have a million questions. Finally, they could communicate with each other, and Minako could let Artemis know what happened and not to worry like the worrywart he was.

Most importantly, she could tell him how much she missed him.

"Minako, I can't keep this communication up for long. I know that you've been taken somewhere far away, but not much else."

"We're at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean," Minako said quickly. Needed to tell him as much as she could in the limited amount of time they had together.

Artemis' eyes widened. He turned his head, coughed once. "I'll ask about the story later, but apparently, my powers were able to combine with yours so we can communicate briefly."

White-golden light also engulfed him. His and Minako's powers were feeding off each other. Even though Minako couldn't transform, she and Artemis were linked.

"My own powers finally became powerful enough so I could communicate with you," Artemis said. "I'm sorry that I wasn't powerful enough before, and I'm sorry that I'm still not powerful enough to talk with you for a longer period of time." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be with you and help you in the, the Pacific Ocean." He smiled broadly. "For now, this should be enough until I can be by your side again."

The top of her pen slid open, and a crystal popped out, floated before Minako, glowing in the white-golden light.

"We created this together, Minako. And with the rest of the Guardians helping you." Artemis clenched his paws. "Whatever mission you have in the Pacific Ocean, I promise that I'll support you. And once we're reunited with each other, I won't leave your side again. No matter what."

Minako took the crystal, held it to her brooch. More power spread throughout her body, filling Minako with energy, erasing her fatigue.

"It's your Venus Crystal. With this, you can transform again and become even more powerful than you are now."

Minako could feel his love through it. "Thank you, Artemis. I don't know what I'd do without you." Artemis' love and concern for her had given him the power to reach her from thousands of miles away. Her friends' teamwork, love, and need for one another were encompassed in this crystal. With them, she didn't need her powers. She could do anything.

The words came forth. "Venus Crystal Power, Make-up!" A trail of stars spiraled around her, the golden light becoming blinding. But she didn't shut her eyes as the sailor suit surrounded her, the skirt replacing her school uniform, the bow tying itself in the back of her skirt, another bow on her chest tying itself. The sailor suit filled her with more power than ever.

Thanks to her friends, she was more powerful than she had ever been. She couldn't have transformed without them.

 _I am Super Sailor Venus._

Patrick picked his nose. "You look exactly the same."

"But she's different, Patrick, can't you tell?" SpongeBob said. "I can feel her powers from here. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy never powered up like that." SpongeBob could sense her powers? He was right, though; she felt different, leagues away from the Minako who had fallen in Bikini Bottom almost a day ago.

"Uh, no, I can't feel anything." Patrick was as thick as cinderblock; a car could mow him down, and he'd feel nothing.

Artemis gawked at SpongeBob and Patrick.

"Artemis, it's impolite to stare," Minako said.

The cat shook his head, cleared his throat. "That's something I would usually tell you."

"It's okay. You couldn't help it."

"True. I'm guessing that these two are a long story as well."

"Everything here is a long story."

"As I was saying…" Artemis grinned. "Your strength, it makes me stronger, Minako. Please remember that no matter what, as long as you have your friends to help you, everything will work out. And our strengths feed off each other." Artemis' tail waved. "I'll work on helping you however I can, Minako. I'll definitely see you soon."

Minako's heart settled. "Yeah. Bye for now, Artemis."

Artemis faded. Leaving only Minako, the first Guardian, other than Sailors Moon and Chibi-Moon, to receive her crystal and a power-up.

Minako almost collapsed, but Makoto and Sandy held her arms, keeping her up.

"Aw, guys, you should let me down," Minako said, eyes half-lidded, sleep threatening to sweep her away. "It's way too late at night to stay up any longer."

"We'll never let you down, gal," Sandy said. "Not after you saved me the way you did."

"How touching." Let out a yawn. "But I could really use a bed." Not even transforming had renewed her strength from outjumping and outrunning lava and flames. Who knew?

"Even you humans weren't worthless in this fight to save my Poseidome," Neptune said. "Now, while the little sponge and the round pink fellow might be appeased by this Golden Spatula…" He snapped his fingers, and a Golden Spatula appeared in his hands, hovered into SpongeBob's hands, the sponge's and starfish's eyes gleaming. "…you might not be so lucky. Despite your spectacular display of prowess today, those suits were holding you back." He hovered above them. Minako resisted the urge to move away. With her friends, she could fight a god. "I will remedy your troubles so that the suits hold you back no more." Light flashed, seemed like the light was coming from right around Minako. But then she realized that she was being electrocuted. She didn't feel pain. Instead, her suit snapped in half and clanged to the mat.

No pressure crushed her, and she could breathe. She moved, light, unrestricted. The rest of her friends, except Sandy, had been released from their suits, too.

"I have given you the power to breathe and survive underwater." Neptune fisted his hips. "As a thank-you for saving my Poseidome and, in turn, saving all of Atlantis from the robots."

"Your Godliness, if you don't mind me asking," Minako said, "what about Sandy? She's always been in a suit, too."

"She was the cause of all this trouble. If anything, I should punish her." He pointed his fingers at Sandy.

Sandy planted her feet. "Now wait just a horn-tootin' minute. God or not, I don't care. Them robots capturing me was not my fault, not Makoto's or Minako's faults, not anybody's faults. So don't you go punishin' anyone but those darn robots. You could destroy all those robots right now, you're so powerful."

"I will ignore your questioning of my authority because you called me powerful, rightfully so." King Neptune rubbed his chin. "I _could_ destroy them all right now. But I choose not to meddle in the affairs of the lowly; it is not a god's job."

Uh-huh. So it was a god's job to do nothing but look pretty. Nice.

"But…" Neptune's eyes grew distant. "Ever since SpongeBob bested me at making krabby patties, I've realized that I lack something. That I don't know everything, that I don't know as much as I think I do. All of you have been showing me and teaching me since these robots have come. I want to learn from you all, through your goal of defeating these robots. That is why I don't intervene."

Ami cocked her head. "Teaching a god?"

Usagi's mouth parted. Minako didn't know what to think, either. What did King Neptune mean? Was his first answer just bravado?

"Squirrel," Neptune said, "as long as you atone for your sin of almost destroying my Poseidome by defeating the rest of the robots, you will be forgiven. But if not"—he flexed— "you will face my wrath."

"No, not Sandy," SpongeBob said, then remembered himself and added quickly, "Your Godliness. Please. Consider it part of another thank-you if you don't punish Sandy if she can't get rid of the robots."

Makoto stood in front of Sandy. "And if you punish her, you'll have to punish me, too, because it was my fault she was captured."

Minako stepped in front of Sandy. "And my fault that she wasn't saved."

"And if you attack one of us," Usagi said, stepping in front of her fellow Guardians, SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy, "then you've attacked all of us."

Neptune stared at SpongeBob. SpongeBob stayed in front of Sandy, Golden Spatula raised. The god regarded each of the Guardians, Tuxedo Mask, Patrick, Sandy, Robo-Sandy's scattered fragments.

"I do like you. And you've bested me at making krabby patties." Casting his half-lidded, apathetic eyes to the Guardians, he said, "Your dedication is admirable." He wiped his eyes—a tear from the god, shed for the lowly humans and sea creatures? "See? You've brought a tear to my eye, something that no one has ever done before. Oh, what dedication." Lightning flashed in his hand, leaving a handkerchief; he blew his nose inside. "Oh, what friendship. I suppose I can spare the squirrel." He looked at Sandy. "Consider yourself forgiven. But if you attack my Poseidome again, I will not forgive you, no matter who vouches for you."

"Thank you so much," Sandy said.

Neptune jabbed a finger at Sandy. "Rude one, this is. Even though she's talking to a god, she doesn't address me properly."

"Your Godliness," Sandy said, monotone.

"We have to work on the delivery, but that's better." Neptune turned. "Now, I bid you _adieu_. I expect you all to destroy these robots and defend Atlantis. I have the utmost faith that you will, based on what you showed me today and SpongeBob's new attack, which I command him to call the Bubble Bowl, in my honor."

SpongeBob bowed. "Yes, Your Godliness." Naming an attack for a god, even though the god had done nothing for him. Must be SpongeBob's gullibility talking.

"Good luck, my little pawns."

"Thank you for getting rid of these suits," Chibi-Usa said. "It's much appreciated."

"Ah, this little one knows how to worship a god." He patted Chibi-Usa's head, the Guardian hiccupping with each pat. "Perhaps one day you can join all my worshippers in Atlantis and worship me all day long. It would be much more fulfilling than the life you currently lead."

Sure.

Clouds appeared, descended from the ceiling. Neptune grabbed the sides of the clouds and pulled the clouds open, revealing Bikini Bottom. With his hands, he produced another cloud, gesturing for the group to stand on it. The group clambered on the cloud, and it flew into Bikini Bottom, near Sandy's treedome. Waving and giving the group a rare smile, King Neptune pulled closed the cloud and the way to the legendary Atlantis.

"Wow," was all Ami could say. "Wow" was all Minako was thinking. They had discovered Atlantis, a place that people had been trying to find for centuries. They had defeated a fifty-foot-tall robot. They had defied a god. The more time Minako spent in Bikini Bottom, the more unbelievable it became.

But when Minako turned around, she almost couldn't speak at the sight that was almost more unbelievable than what she had just been through.

"Holy sh…" Couldn't finish the word.

Things were going to become much more interesting.


	20. Transition

**Chapter Twenty: Transition**

Time for another performance.

CereCere smirked from behind the curtain in the circus tent, hundreds awaiting the Dead Moon Circus' opening once again. Alongside her three sisters and her lackeys, the Amazon Trio, she would feast on dreams, transforming them into nightmares.

The performance would go smoothly. The Dead Moon Circus would take what they needed to take for Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia and then leave. The stupid humans would never know what happened.

They'd had repeat customers. Like three young women, one with waist-length, luminescent green hair; another with short, boyish hair; and the third with flowy, turquoise hair. A child accompanied them, her black hair touching her shoulders. CereCere blamed the child's cold, dark, nearly lifeless eyes on the effect of the Circus' performances.

Although the Dead Moon Circus had performed multiple times in one day, the women had come to the last few performances. This time was no exception. But when the women left each of their performances, they didn't seem as affected as the civilians. Something mysterious lurked within those women, and CereCere would find out what.

Were those women associated with the Moon Kingdom? Hadn't Fisheye destroyed all the Guardians?

CereCere's eyes sharpened. If he hadn't, then she'd finish the job.

She had no trouble destroying anyone, but she had to make sure that she wasn't mistaken. She didn't want to lose anyone's dreams by killing them because of a misunderstanding. Maybe after she retrieved their dreams, she could kill them—a pleasant way to end the day. Should they be killed before, during, or after, their performance? If they were killed during their performance, then the women would never see their demise coming.

CereCere chuckled to herself. How fun.

She was going to start the circus performance. Fisheye, Tiger's Eye, and Hawk's Eye were joining CereCere and her sisters, JunJun, PallaPalla, and VesVes. CereCere was the oldest and most mature. Her gorgeous pink eyes attracted all men, and her braided hair fell in two plaits to her waist, near her yellow skirt, the second part of her two-piece outfit. She looped two other braids near her ears. An elegant, aristocratic hairstyle for an elegant, aristocratic woman.

Together with the Amazon Trio—Fisheye, Tiger's Eye, and Hawk's Eye—the Amazoness Quartet would put on an unforgettable performance. Specifically for their repeat customers.

Those women sat in the second row. Not afraid of their identities being discovered. After today, they would fear the Dead Moon Circus.

The audience would enjoy the Circus' exotic-looking humanoid creatures, the Amazon Trio. Would love Fisheye's whimsical puffy blue jumpsuit and blue ponytail that resembled a fish's fin. The boys and men would be entertained by Tiger's Eye, a roughhousing fellow with shoulder-length orange hair. Tiger's Eye could _roar_ whether he was in his human or tiger form, and he was candy for the older women's eyes. Lastly, there was Hawk's Eye with his short, wild pink hair and devilish, mischievous countenance. Kids would be attracted to Hawk's Eye's bad-boy vibe.

Her little sister, PallaPalla, had done such a good job creating the Amazon Trio.

The Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio stood behind the curtain that domed them from the audience. "Stood" wasn't the right word. CereCere hung by her hair on a trapeze. She would do anything to entertain the masses, even tangle her braids.

JunJun stood on top of a diving board, a bed of spikes below. How JunJun was going to flip and flop her way out of that, CereCere didn't know. But JunJun could flip and flop her way out of everything, she was such an experienced acrobat.

A lion quietly let VesVes sit on it, the youngest member of the Quartet holding her whip. The audience's eyes would be drawn to VesVes and the lion right away. The audience would wonder if the lion would turn on VesVes anytime, gulp her alive in one bite. Which would never happen. VesVes could command any beast.

PallaPalla did a headstand on a balancing ball. Didn't look impressive. Yet. Her brilliance could turn anything mundane-looking into a trick that the audience couldn't tear their eyes from.

Their collective performances hypnotized the audience and made their dreams ripe for picking. With the Amazon Trio helping, they'd be unstoppable.

Tiger's Eye was eyeing the lion. An attraction between a lion and a tiger?

"Getting distracted?" CereCere said. "We're about to start our show, so you'd better pay attention."

Tiger's Eye straightened. "Yeah, yeah." He gave the lion one more appraisal before concentrating on the ring of fire before him. Fisheye and Hawk's Eye stood at the other side of the ring; they'd be jumping through side-by-side at the same time. The audience would love it.

Sweat cascaded down Fisheye's forehead. "Do I _have_ to be near the fire?"

"Hey, you're from the ocean." Tiger's Eye jabbed a finger into his own chest. "I should be the one who's afraid."

"Which you are, based on your sweating," Hawk's Eye said.

"I'm sweating because of the heat. You're sweating, too." A blush radiated through Tiger's Eye's cheeks. Tiger's Eye was a blusher. How cute. The audience would love Tiger's Eye's quirks.

The curtains rippled.

"Ready, everyone?" CereCere said. "Let's put on a spectacular show tonight."

"Yeah!" was the response, Fisheye flopping up and down like the fish he used to be, Tiger's Eye pumping a fist into the air. PallaPalla stayed perfectly still on the ball.

The curtain rose, revealing the Dead Moon Circus. The old hag, Zirconia, wasn't with them, preferring to stay behind the scenes in their lair. The queen was trapped in a mirror thanks to Queen Serenity. If CereCere destroyed all the Guardians and found the Golden Crystal from someone's dream, using the Crystal to release the queen, then Queen Nehellenia would keep her sisters safe forever.

The audience's eyes had lit up, kids standing, sitting on their dads' shoulders. Even a place as orderly as Japan descended into chaos and excitement when the Dead Moon Circus arrived. No one could resist.

Except the four women sitting in front. After today, they wouldn't be able to resist, either.

A microphone was attached to each of the Amazoness Quartet's and the Amazon Trio's collars, projecting their voices.

"Good evening, everyone," CereCere said.

The crowd's cheers were nearly deafening, but the four women's silence and stoicism screamed louder than anyone in the audience could've. If they were going to stay in disguise, then they should at least crack smiles and try to blend in.

They wanted Dead Moon to pick on them. CereCere had to take the bait, had to protect her sisters, end the threats before they ended the Circus.

Besides, the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio were more powerful than whatever tricks those women hid. The Dead Moon Circus would thwart whatever happened without affecting their performance. Couldn't let a few women spoil the whole show.

"Welcome to another outstanding performance by the Dead Moon Circus," CereCere continued. "You're in for an evening of fun and laughter. Now, there may be a few—very few—of you who don't know who we are." She glanced at her sisters and the Amazon Trio. "Shall we introduce ourselves?"

"I'll go first." VesVes whipped her lion, and the lion ran vertically, climbing the ladder like it was running through a plain. The audience gasped. VesVes and her lion reached the top of the diving board, near CereCere.

CereCere recoiled, scrunching up her face. "Now why oh why are you putting that animal near me?

VesVes smiled lopsidedly. "What, can't stand the heat?"

CereCere fanned her face. "No, it stinks."

Laughter rippled throughout the audience. Except from those women. CereCere would break them soon.

"Hey, don't call my dear Mr. Brave stinky. Let me let you in on a little secret. To him, you stink."

CereCere perched her hands on her hips. "Well, if I stink to him, then so do you."

The laughter became louder. The audience was becoming drawn in to Dead Moon's world.

Except. Those. Women.

But the circus had stepped up since their last performance. They would break those women today.

VesVes tossed her hair. "Whatever. The audience doesn't care who stinks, anyway. We're all the way up here, so they can't smell us." She winked. "I am VesVes, the beast tamer. I can control—tame, excuse me—any beast, from a dog all the way up to a dragon." She spread her arms. "Beasts wouldn't dare stand against me."

The audience oohed and aahed, becoming more entranced. They would soon be distracted enough for their dreams to be penetrated and searched, and they would never know what had befallen them. They would feel a void, not understanding where that void came from.

"PallaPalla here." Sparkles glowing around her from the charm that she had sprayed on to further entrance the audience, PallaPalla flipped and then landed back on the ball headfirst, not flinching. The audience sat forward. "Ignore their pissing contest up there and look at PallaPalla. She's the most rational one here. Actually, PallaPalla's so rational that she can balance on her head. See?"

The audience murmured in agreement. With her creativity, PallaPalla was brilliant in her own right. Not to mention her charm that would entice the audience to never take their eyes off her.

But the women and their kid didn't seem wooed.

 _Hm._ Not for long.

PallaPalla frowned briefly at the women. She must've noticed.

"Are all of you ignoring me?" JunJun jumped once, twice, thrice, each time jumping higher than the jump before, her ponytails bouncing, some of her hair sticking straight up, all her hair bound in a rope-like tie. The audience looked to JunJun. The acrobat jumped down, toward the bed of spikes. If the audience members weren't under PallaPalla's charm, then they might think JunJun's trick to be boring. But the Dead Moon Circus could make the most tired trick seem new, which was partly why their performances had been growing more popular lately. CereCere had once turned on the radio and heard that the Dead Moon Circus was the highest grossing circus in Japan's history.

JunJun turned so that her head faced the spikes. She grabbed one spike, balanced herself upright, muscles protruding from her arms and legs. She grinned, the audience sitting up in their seats, erupting into cheers.

PallaPalla pouted. "Hey, you guys didn't cheer like that for PallaPalla."

The audience cheered louder. Strong charm.

"Maybe her trick wasn't as impressive as JunJun's," VesVes said.

CereCere scowled. "You could hurt PallaPalla's feelings, talking like that."

"Good thing I'm all the way up here."

CereCere couldn't tell what VesVes meant. At least VesVes was out of PallaPalla's earshot or PallaPalla could've started crying. While the charm would enchant the audience so that they would think of PallaPalla's tears as a trick, they didn't want to risk botching the show. In the Dead Moon Circus' performances, any trick gone wrong could end with someone, well, dead.

"I think it's time we put the attention on our pets." VesVes jumped off her lion, snapped her finger. The lion sat on its haunches. The audience's eyes sparkled. PallaPalla's charm was working wonderfully. A spike could've impaled JunJun and killed her and the audience would've been delighted.

"Tiger's Eye," VesVes said.

Tiger's Eye snapped to attention. "Yes, ma'am?"

"First of all, haven't I told you not to call me 'ma'am'? Do I need to get a muzzle for your mouth so you can't talk at all?"

Tiger's Eye shook his head so rapidly that his head blurred. "No, Master."

"Oh, Master." VesVes squealed. "Much better." She turned to the audience, "As you can see, Tiger's Eye can be forgetful sometimes, but he easily follows commands." She glanced at CereCere. "At least from me."

CereCere swung off the trapeze, landing in front of VesVes. "He accepts commands from all of us, not just her. She's not the only special snowflake in this room."

"Of course." PallaPalla pushed herself of her ball with her head, landing on the tip of her toes of only her right foot. Made balancing look easy. "We're all special snowflakes."

JunJun put a finger to her chin. "If we're all special snowflakes, doesn't that make none of us special at all?"

"We talk too much." VesVes cracked her whip at Fisheye and Hawk's Eye. At the same time, Fisheye and Hawk's Eye jumped through the ring of fire, Fisheye diving like the fish he had been, Hawk's Eye pinning his arms to his sides like the hawk he had been.

"Augh, my complexion." Fisheye tumbled upright, Hawk's Eye landing on his feet. Hawk's Eye had quickly adapted to his human feet, using them like talons, hooking his toes around different things.

"You still look great." Hawk's Eye brushed a stray hair from Fisheye's forehead. "Now you look perfect."

"I feel like I'm melting." Fisheye looked at both of his hands. "I'm not melting, am I?"

"You're not melting."

Fisheye shuddered. "I'm shivering, but I'm hot."

The audience broke into laughter at the same time, like a sign asking them to laugh had lit up. But those women and their kid remained stoic.

CereCere clapped her hands. "Okay, now it's really time to get this show started. Everyone's excited, everyone's all warmed up, and now it's time to execute. First, I need a volunteer." She made a show of looking carefully over the audience, at all the raised hands, the humans desperate to participate. None of them were the ones she wanted, even though their dreams would be easily infiltrated. CereCere wanted a challenge.

Those women kept their hands down.

"Hmm." The audience was so desperate that CereCere almost wanted to pick someone who wanted to participate, but she couldn't, or her plan would fall to ruins. "How about you?" She pointed at the girl with short, black hair. How would the rest of the older women react since CereCere had picked the youngest, most vulnerable one?

They didn't react. So not fun.

CereCere had to kick things up a notch. Put the youngest one in the most dangerous position so that the other women would panic.

The girl looked to the older women. The older ones smiled and nodded. The one with turquoise hair had the nerve to help the youngest one onto her feet, nudge her toward the ring. CereCere resisted the urge to glare. She wouldn't let them make fools out of the Dead Moon Circus.

The girl walked toward the circus ring. CereCere bit her lip. Couldn't help but be unnerved by this girl's deep eyes that resembled a black hole. If these women had powers...

CereCere had to protect her sisters.

Before the show, CereCere reminded her sisters and the Amazon Trio to keep a lookout for Dead Moon's enemies, like the Sailor Guardians' allies. She had pointed out those women and their kid to the rest of Dead Moon before each performance.

The audience had fallen silent. Not because of PallaPalla's charm.

This girl was hijacking their performance by just walking.

She and those women had to be Guardians. Fisheye hadn't killed them all.

CereCere glanced at the rest of her sisters, at the Amazon Trio. They had stiffened, on guard for whatever happened next.

CereCere had to put on a semblance of the Dead Moon Circus not suspecting that the girl was a Guardian. "Step right up, young lady. We have a special trick we want you to be a part of." To make sure the charm was working, she said, "Don't we?"

The audience cheered. An apropos response.

The rest of those women looked on, observant.

CereCere jumped down from the diving board, landing on her feet. VesVes' lion did the same, landing several feet away, VesVes keeping her balance atop the lion. Thank goodness VesVes had the sense to not get near this girl.

CereCere motioned toward herself. "Come over to me." She didn't want any other Dead Moon members getting hurt. CereCere could tell the girl was powerful because of her black holes that were allegedly eyes. Could pierce someone's soul.

The girl stepped near CereCere. Unsmiling. If anyone else in the audience had come, then a grin would be splitting his face, whether CereCere asked him to burn himself alive in the ring of fire or let the lion eat him.

"Yes, yes, how are you?" CereCere didn't dare touch the girl. Who knew what she was capable of?

"I'm good. How are you?"

How formal. "Good." CereCere had kept herself from stuttering. Couldn't show the Dead Moon Circus that she was afraid. "Thank you."

The audience laughed once more, except it wasn't meant to be funny. CereCere and this girl's face-off was the opposite of funny.

"How polite you are. You'll be the perfect volunteer to help me with this trick. I can't do it without you."

The girl didn't blink or smile.

"I know you'll be able to follow all my instructions perfectly. Now, how about a little ride on my trapeze?"

"Yes, I'm willing."

"You…you're willing…" _Shake it off, CereCere._ "Well, great. I'm willing, too. So that makes two of us."

PallaPalla's hand shot up. "PallaPalla's willing, too. That makes three of us."

"But," CereCere said before PallaPalla could get out of hand, "PallaPalla will have to sit this trick out. Don't worry. PallaPalla will get another trick to herself."

PallaPalla crossed her arms. "All right."

"I'll grab the trapeze, and you'll grab my legs, and we'll ride together. I'd love to have you grab the trapeze yourself, but you might not be able to control it."

The girl remained silent.

"Ah, that's right. I never asked your name. Introduce yourself to the audience. Go on."

The girl faced the audience, unafraid of turning her back to CereCere. "I'm Hotaru Tomoe." The girl bowed. "Nice to meet you." She faced CereCere as the audience welcomed her to the Dead Moon Circus.

Welcoming her to her death.

A smile made Hotaru's expression creepier. "I'm excited to be a part of this."

"We're excited to have you. Aren't we?" She glanced at her sisters and the Amazon Trio.

PallaPalla struck up her arm once more. "Yes, PallaPalla's excited." She was doing a great job at pretending she wasn't afraid of this Guardian with unknown powers. Her charm didn't work as well when Hotaru was front-and-center. How could it when Hotaru had those deep eyes on her side?

"We should do some exercises together," JunJun said. "We'd have a lot of fun."

"My beasts would love to meet you." VesVes would command that the beasts take care of Hotaru. Her beasts never failed to complete her commands.

"You look like quite the swimmer," Fisheye said. "We should swim together during our performance."

"Will I be here for the whole performance?" Hotaru said.

"Only for a few tricks." CereCere made herself laugh. "We'd tire you out if you stayed for the whole performance." She dared to place a hand on Hotaru's back. Thankfully, her arm didn't turn to ashes. CereCere guided Hotaru toward the ladder leading to the diving board, where the trapeze hung. "This way, please. There's a net below in case you fall. Which is impossible when you have an experienced trapeze artist like me helping you."

"That's reassuring."

A girl of few words. Usually, girls her age talked all the time. Hotaru looked to be near PallaPalla's age. "Go ahead and climb the ladder. I'll be right behind you."

The other three Guardians watched but didn't seem tense. They had to know a trap was coming. CereCere had to deploy the trap before those Guardians saved Hotaru.

CereCere could kill at least one of the Guardians. When the rest of the Guardians tried to avenge their loss, blinded by rage and sadness, their many mistakes would result in their downfall. Thanks to Fisheye killing the other half of the Sailor Team, all the Guardians would be gone. Dead Moon would have no opposition, freeing them to accomplish their own dream of filling the world with nightmares. How ironic. A dream of nightmares.

Hotaru climbed the ladder, CereCere close behind. If she had a knife, CereCere could kill Hotaru now. But a backstab was cliché. The way CereCere was going to kill Hotaru would be much more entertaining.

Hotaru stood on the edge of the diving board. "Right here?"

"You guessed right." CereCere grinned. "How intelligent you are. I wish you could stick around for the whole performance. I bet many others in our audience want to come up, too."

On cue came another deafening round of cheers from the audience.

CereCere stepped in front of Hotaru, grabbed the trapeze. "It might be a tall order, but I need you to grab my legs." Tiger's Eye stood beside Hotaru in a flash, but Hotaru only glanced at Tiger's Eye, returning her attention to CereCere.

This Hotaru was something else. She wouldn't be easy to defeat, either.

"Here, Tiger's Eye will help you."

Tiger's Eye crouched to Hotaru's level, whispered in her ear, "You don't have anything to worry about with me around." A move that would be sensual to anyone else. But on Hotaru, Tiger's Eye's move had no effect. She kept staring at CereCere with an envious focus.

CereCere stepped off the board, letting herself hang, the net below supposed to be reassuring to Hotaru. "The net will keep you from hurting yourself if you fall. But don't worry. I won't let that happen."

Hotaru cocked her head. "How? I mean, I'll be the one holding onto your legs. It's a rather strange trick, to be honest."

Felt like an anvil had crushed CereCere's head. _Don't stutter. Don't seem nervous._ "I'll actually be doing the bulk of the muscle work by holding onto the trapeze."

"But you'll be holding the least weight."

"Is your stubbornness a ploy to convince me to let you hold onto the trapeze?"

"Maybe. Unless my holding onto the trapeze doesn't fit in with your plans. For your trick, I mean."

"If you want to hold onto the trapeze, you can. But then I can't guarantee that the trick will work out the way it's supposed to."

"Is that bad for me or you?"

Where was this attitude coming from? Hotaru had seemed meek and sweet when she first walked into the circus ring. Was her attitude a part of the Guardians' plan to knock the Dead Moon Circus off their game? It wasn't going to work; the Dead Moon Circus had invented mind games.

"Could be worse for you." CereCere kept herself from tacking on "you little brat" at the end of her sentence. "Are you sure you want to do things your way? I'm willing." She would get her trick to work some other way.

"I feel like taking a risk today."

The audience murmured, looked at one another. Not the effect of PallaPalla's charm. Hotaru mesmerized them.

"Okay, we'll switch places." CereCere swung herself backward, her feet touching the diving board. Let go of the trapeze. "I'm sure you have the skill to get it since you're so confident." The first time CereCere had lost her composure. She tried to be level-headed in all situations, but sometimes, others got to her.

"I was very frail as a child. Maybe I shouldn't be up here at all."

The mind games Hotaru was playing flipped CereCere's stomach. Something was going to go wrong with CereCere's plans, and not only because Hotaru would be holding onto the trapeze.

Had to keep calm. Or else the Guardians would win, and Dead Moon would be no more.

"Would you still like to participate?" CereCere said. Hotaru was dashing CereCere's hopes of being the easiest Guardian to kill because she was the youngest and most naïve. Then again, naivete might not have anything to do with age. PallaPalla was the second-oldest out of the Amazoness Quartet, yet she was the most naïve and immature. But her naivete made her think of creative ideas, like turning a tiger, hawk, and fish into humanoids.

"I think I'd better." Like Hotaru had read CereCere's mind. "I wouldn't want to regret anything. I find that I regret things I don't do instead of things I do."

How philosophical. "Wise words from a babe. Adults must love you."

"They're partial to me."

"And confident. The adults must really love you, especially in school."

Hotaru stepped to the edge of the board. The other Guardians showed no signs of being tense. They trusted Hotaru. Or their bravado was false. Or Hotaru was powerful enough to destroy Dead Moon with a flick of her hand.

Hotaru grabbed the trapeze, stepped off the board. Hanging.

CereCere had a better idea. One that wouldn't involve CereCere on the trapeze at all. The audience would eat it up because of PallaPalla's charm.

There hung Hotaru. Vulnerable.

Everyone had weaknesses. So far, Hotaru seemed perfect. Except for her overconfidence. CereCere would play into her borderline arrogance.

"Actually, I think you're strong enough to stay on the trapeze by yourself. I want to help you prove to others that you aren't as frail as you once were." Before Hotaru could respond, CereCere shoved Hotaru's back, swinging Hotaru. Unfortunately, CereCere couldn't see Hotaru's face. But the other Guardians weren't surprised at all.

Maybe Hotaru had faked being overconfident to get CereCere to play into their own trap. Damn them.

Hotaru swung up, the trapeze nearing the ceiling, the audience oohing. The Guardian made no noise. Impressive. But CereCere wouldn't let Hotaru's stoicism rattle her any more.

CereCere gave a thumbs-up to VesVes, and the beast tamer whistled. Two hawks soared from the back of the tent, pecked at the rope holding the trapeze to the ceiling. The trapeze's ropes thinned, pieces of it drifting to the floor. The rope snapped off, and Hotaru fell.

The Guardian didn't make a sound.

"Don't worry. There's a net below you." CereCere snapped her fingers, and spikes protruded from the floor, through the net. "There's still a net below you." She laughed.

Hotaru raised her arm. "Saturn Crystal Power, Make-up!" Transforming in front of the audience?

A black, shiny aura domed Hotaru and then faded, revealing Hotaru in a sailor suit, clutching a glaive, hovering several feet above the spikes.

She faced CereCere with those black eyes. "I am the Guardian of destruction and rebirth, Sailor Saturn." Her voice was devoid of emotion.

Deadly.

A yelp from PallaPalla. CereCere looked, despite the danger that CereCere herself was in. Those other three women raised their hands.

"Uranus Crystal Power, Make-up!"

"Neptune Crystal Power, Make-up!"

"Pluto Crystal Power, Make-up!"

The lights domed and faded from the women, blinding CereCere. Four shadows zipped toward her. Felt like a door slammed on her face. She careened through the air.

A Guardian, the short-haired woman, raised her fist. Her fist had felt like a door. " _That_ was your big plan? I was waiting for something much more impressive."

CereCere managed to land on her feet behind the diving board, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. "Don't mock us."

Tiger's Eye gazed up, growling, the tiger in him seeping out, some audience members gasping. But most didn't care. The Dead Moon Circus' performance was fascinating to them, and their reactions didn't change no matter what happened.

"I thought you killed them all, Fisheye." Once she realized that the Dead Moon Circus' performances didn't affect the women and the kid, worry that some of the Guardians were still alive nipped at CereCere. She'd ignored her worry and chosen to believe Fisheye.

"I thought I did too," Fisheye replied, the turquoise-haired one landing before him. Let Fisheye be killed. He deserved to be in his naivety.

But CereCere was naïve for thinking the Guardians had been defeated, too.

CereCere balled her hands. Regardless, Dead Moon would defeat these Guardians.

Three of the Guardians floated side-by-side, above CereCere's failed trap.

"I am the Guardian of flight, of Uranus, the planet of skies, Sailor Uranus." The one whose fist was harder than metal. CereCere _could not_ let herself be punched again, or she'd die.

"I am the Guardian of embrace and Neptune, the planet of deep waters, Sailor Neptune." The one with turquoise hair that flowed like the sea.

"I am the Guardian of change and Pluto, the planet of space and time, Sailor Pluto." The one holding a rod that seemed to double as a key. Couldn't let that rod hit her, either.

VesVes slapped her whip, and the lion roared, shaking the tent. JunJun leaped straight up, toward the Guardians.

"That's reckless, damn it," CereCere said. JunJun's being the second youngest didn't excuse her recklessness.

"Hail Orb!" A black orb grew out of PallaPalla's hands, shattered, hail raining throughout the tent. Something to distract the Guardians. Especially since that hail was battering the audience, humans ducking under their arms, parents shielding their children with their bodies.

Sailor Neptune flew toward the audience, away from Fisheye. "Deep Submerge!" A wave of water burst from Sailor Neptune's hands. It wasn't wide enough to protect the audience. The water spread over the audience, Neptune pulsing energy to widen her wave, trying to counter PallaPalla's hailstorm. The water shielded the audience like an umbrella. Water, being used as an umbrella.

JunJun threw a fist. Sailor Uranus swung her own fist toward JunJun's. The fists clashed, both women shaking with the slam.

"You act tough, but you're weak." Using her free hand, Sailor Uranus snatched JunJun's face. "World Shaking." Orange light pulsed from Uranus' hand, into JunJun's face. Looked like JunJun's head had been taken off. JunJun hollered, barreling backward, through audience members, and then tearing through the tent. She disappeared into the distance, the spot where she disappeared twinkling.

"Whoops," Sailor Uranus said. "I didn't mean to hurt innocent folks, too."

But the audience members jumped onto their feet, clapping, whooping for more.

"Doesn't seem like they felt the pain, though."

"Hey, stop talking to yourself and pay attention to us."

Now VesVes was becoming reckless. She should've attacked quietly instead of announcing her approach. VesVes slapped her whip, and the lion leaped, its fangs elongating.

"Chronos Typhoon."

A blast of wind from Sailor Pluto slammed into VesVes and her lion, both colliding into CereCere, who collided into PallaPalla, breaking PallaPalla's concentration and stopping the assault of hail. PallaPalla crashed into a wooden beam holding up the tent. One by one, each sister peeled off each other and fell.

This fight was not going well.

"Thought you could get rid of me, did you?" JunJun. Again, with the announcing themselves. Not. Smart.

Below, the Amazon Trio gawked at the fight. They didn't have attacks of their own. They were created to devise plans, mess with people psychologically, which was why CereCere had given Fisheye her Opening Ball in case he was having a hard time defeating Sailor Mercury.

The worst part was, Sailor Saturn hadn't attacked yet but regarded the fight with those deadly eyes.

"Come on, everyone." Her sisters and the Amazon Trio gathered to CereCere, and she summoned her pole into her hand, a ball appearing beside the pole. Grabbing the pole, she visualized the ocean, where the other Guardians had been sent and couldn't have survived, where these Guardians wouldn't survive, either. CereCere and her sisters, the Amazon Trio with their supernatural powers surely would.

With the pole, she hit the ball. It burst before the Circus, a vortex rending the air. The Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio jumped through. The Guardians stupidly pursued.

They flew through the vortex, claps from the audience echoing behind them, and the portal closed. The audience had thought the pandemonium to be part of the show when it was anything but.

The Dead Moon Circus had to reach the light at the end, or they would be defeated. If they were… CereCere wasn't worried about Zirconia. She feared Queen Nehellenia much more than an old hag who was long overdue to die from age.

With their long-range attacks, the Guardians could kill them at any time.

CereCere looked over her shoulder, the vortex propelling Dead Moon forward. Unlike the Guardians, none of the Dead Moon Circus members could fly, putting the Guardians at an advantage. But the vortex controlled all, including the Guardians' flight and attacks.

"World Shaking!" The blast of energy didn't burst from Uranus' hand. "What is this? It's negating my powers?"

"Deep Submerge." Nothing from Neptune, either.

Sailor Saturn raised her glaive. CereCere's heart stopped. Was the vortex strong enough to suppress Saturn's attack?

"Silence Glaive Surprise."

CereCere waited for the world to end.

The world kept going.

Surely, the vortex wasn't that powerful.

But nothing happened.

The world didn't turn to hell, where CereCere was going to end up for the bad things she'd done. Whoever was in charge of the afterlife wouldn't be happy about her goal of turning dreams into nightmares or unleashing a mad queen upon the world.

Maybe it took a while for the attack to charge.

The world continued.

CereCere's mouth twisted into a smile. If Saturn's attacks didn't work, then none of the other Guardians' attacks could. Sailor Saturn must be the most powerful of the Guardians, maybe rivaling Sailor Moon.

Dead Moon's plan was going to work after all. They'd reach the bottom of the ocean, the Guardians would die, Dead Moon would live. Once they made sure that the Guardians died, they'd return to Japan and finish what they started.

The light before them brightened. The vortex propelled them faster.

Despite the blinding light, Dead Moon managed to hold to one another so they wouldn't separate. CereCere's sisters screamed.

The light faded.

Wherever they had ended up, CereCere hoped the Guardians weren't around.

Then the nightmare would begin.


	21. Impetus

**Chapter Twenty-one: Impetus**

Everything darkened.

Plankton's surroundings, the sky, the flower-like clouds, the sand, everything became as black as tar. Like everything had because of the vortex that those humans had popped out of, as Plankton had heard from citywide gossip. It wasn't like Plankton had friends, except Karen, and she was in the Chum Bucket, possibly hacked by the robots.

Another vortex became etched into the sky. Were humans going to fall out of this one, too?

Plankton ran as fast as he could. Despite his small size, he could outrun bigger fish; he was used to dodging their feet, their stupidity keeping them from looking at the ground every once in a while to see if they were going to step on a living creature. Plankton often dreamed of growing big enough to show them how being crushed felt. He was smart enough to crush them with his wits instead.

The vortex seemed to be far away, perched in the distant sky. Besides, Plankton hadn't seen any humans since encountering the blonde one and the blue-haired one with SpongeBob in Jellyfish Fields. Wherever they'd gone, at least they weren't in his way.

Those humans behaved like they fought villains for a living. The villains they fought couldn't be as heinous or filled with genius as Plankton, though. Plankton was the smartest in Bikini Bottom, likely the smartest in the world.

Which was why he was running toward the vortex. As long as Plankton was fast enough, he would be the first creature these new humans saw, preventing others from gaining control of them. The humans would be so awed by his grandeur that they'd obey his commands to retake the Chum Bucket and purge the viruses that the robots inflicted upon Karen. After making sure that Karen was one-hundred percent okay, Plankton would pull the "Obey" lever on the Duplicatotron, forcing the robots under his will. Not only would Plankton have an army of strong, cunning humans, but he would also have an army of robots, outnumbering SpongeBob's human army. He would definitely steal the krabby patty secret formula with his army.

With the sales of his chum skyrocketing thanks to implementing the secret formula, Plankton would draw all fish to his restaurant, brainwashing them through his chum to fall under his rule.

Plankton would be the most powerful in Bikini Bottom.

He deserved to be. He must be the only one in Bikini Bottom to have gone to college. How did Krabs, without stepping foot on a college campus, become the most successful restaurateur in Bikini Bottom? He'd never taken a finance class but was as cheap as the shell he wore.

The vortex was the catalyst of Plankton's success. It had been a long time coming, but here it was.

Plankton reached the vortex. A group of humans slammed onto the sand, sand puffing up around them, and the vortex faded. The humans had collapsed in a heap, unconscious. Excellent.

The humans were so entangled that Plankton couldn't distinguish between them. No matter. Plankton would stash them someplace safe, out of sight of SpongeBob's army, and he would reign supreme.

First, he had to make sure they could survive underwater. That squirrel woman wore suits that let her survive.

Plankton had to get those deep sea dive suits to keep his army alive. Then, they would be indebted to Plankton, would bend to his every whim. He could pretend he had a button that deactivated the suits, made them unable to breathe. If they didn't ask him to prove it, then he would have ultimate control over them.

These humans seemed to be competent since they still breathed. There were eleven of them, a great start for Plankton's new army, a stark contrast to his first army that had been comprised of his nincompoop country family.

One of the humans twitched. Plankton froze.

He hadn't planned what he would say, how he would persuade these humans to side with him. Were they allies with one another? If they were enemies, then it would be more difficult to get them to collaborate. Plankton should've built a mind-controlling device. But with his brilliance, he could complete one before the rest of these humans awakened and then declare himself as their commander.

With his brilliance, he could weave a persuasive story to convince them to side with him.

Plankton planted his feet in a wide stance like he had read that powerful leaders did. Even though Plankton was the size of this human's foot, he would seem domineering. Once Plankton boomed out his voice, then this human would become submissive. Plankton held power; he knew Bikini Bottom inside and out while these humans did not. He could use his surroundings to his advantage. Somehow. Plankton wasn't sure how yet, but with his brilliance, he would think of something in approximately a millisecond or two. Maybe three or four or five. Perhaps more. Bottom line was, Plankton would think of something.

The human wore a blue jumpsuit, blue hair falling over his shoulders. _Was_ the human male? Plankton couldn't tell. He didn't see humans often. But with his brilliance, he'd be able to figure everything out quickly, including how to manipulate these humans.

The human groaned, sat up, rubbing his head. His cloudy eyes fluttered for a moment. "Feels like home."

He looked around, stood, not seeing Plankton. The human tripped over another human's legs, untangled himself from the heap to stand on the ground.

If this human was, well, human, why could he stand and breathe underwater? Unless Plankton had been mistaken and humans _could_ breathe and survive underwater. Or these humans had superpowers. But if all of them could survive underwater, then why had only one awakened?

"Must be where I sent the rest of the Guardians." The human was talking to himself. Like fish did.

The human looked at the pile of humans standing behind him. How had he not seen Plankton? (Based on his voice, the human must be male.)

With his foot, the human nudged another one. No response.

The human's face fell. "Oh, no. Everyone'll die if I don't get them oxygen. If I use Opening Ball again—"

Plankton cleared his throat. "Excuse me, giant human who prayerfully won't eat me, I command thee to listen to me."

The human's brow creased, and he looked around. "What's that? I hear a tiny voice coming from somewhere, but I don't exactly know where."

"Tiny voice?" A vein protruded from Plankton's forehead. "How dare you?" Plankton jumped up and down in rage. "I'm _right here, under your stinking feet,_ you unobservant _imbecile_."

The human's eyes shot to Plankton. Plankton squeaked. Shouldn't have lost his temper against a human who loomed fifty times taller than him.

"Uh, hi." Plankton put a hand on the back of his head, backing up. "Hi, human. I hope that you don't eat me for my uncalled-for outburst." He found himself bowing to the human. Not at all like what Plankton had visualized. "Besides, I can help you with your not-being-able-to-breathe issue."

"You know, if I wasn't taken by the beauty of the sea, I'd be angry at you." The human's eyes twinkled at his surroundings, the expanse of the blue sky. "But I'd love it if my friends could breathe again. Except for a few of them. They can stay dead." The human cocked his head, his blue earrings jingling. "Tell me, what do you have in mind?"

A grin snaked onto Plankton's face. "Plenty. To make up for my outburst, and to win your undying affection and unwavering loyalty, I will take you to the only place in Bikini Bottom with oxygen and pressure matching that of the surface's. In return, I require you to pledge your life to me." He turned up his head. "Or else I won't help you."

The human's expression brightened. "Of course."

Just like that. Plankton chuckled, rubbing his hands. He'd won their undying, unwavering loyalty forever.

The human crouched to Plankton's level, making Plankton feel less intimidated. The human outstretched a pinky toward Plankton. Plankton took the pinky, and they shook. "My name is Fisheye. If you're wondering why I can breathe and why the pressure doesn't affect me, it's because I was originally a fish, but my masters turned me into a human."

"Former masters, you mean. You just pledged your unwavering loyalty to I, Plankton."

"Yes. Yes, I did. You are one-hundred percent correct. So yes, they are my former masters."

Plankton resisted the urge to wipe a tear from his eye. Fisheye had said that he was one-hundred percent loyal to Plankton. Great negotiating skills Plankton had. His suaveness made everyone bend to his will.

"Why are you smiling, crossing your arms, and nodding to yourself?"

 _Because Plankton is not only a genius, but also a master negotiator._ Plankton hadn't realized what he was doing. He was busy praising himself because no one else had the brain to recognize his genius.

"We should hurry to the oxygen." Fisheye cast raised eyebrows at the heap of humans. "I'm not sure how long they can survive. They do have powers, so they might be able to survive longer than regular humans."

"You don't command me," Plankton said. "I command you. And I say we hurry to the oxygen." He turned around, giving Fisheye his back, placing his hand on his chin, facing the direction of the treedome. "By my own brilliant deduction, which includes those humans coming out of that vortex and surviving, I believe that these humans have powers that are causing them to survive for longer than normal humans."

"That's…what I said, but in more words."

"Silence, my lackey. Come, follow me. And bring the rest of those humans with you. Although I caution you, if SpongeBob comes, he might save the rest of the humans we leave behind. So I suggest we bring all of them."

Fisheye's eyes lit up. "Yes, great idea, Master. That way, we can guarantee that the ones we don't like die."

Plankton chuckled once more. Master Plankton. He could get used to being called, "Master." Problem was, Plankton needed all these humans for his plans. With his amazing persuasion skills, he could convince the humans to work together, no matter how rocky their past. In addition to being a genius, Plankton was the great mediator.

Fisheye turned toward the pile of humans, who didn't seem closer to choking or being crushed by the pressure than when they first crashed onto the sand. "Now, how to carry all these people?" He tapped his chin. Plankton could throw out a few ideas, but he wanted to see how smart his lackey was.

Fisheye snapped his fingers. "I should be able to use their Amazon Stones. So if I use Orb Knot…" He rummaged inside another blue-haired human's pockets, took out a stone. Plankton narrowed his eyes. Had to memorize his lackeys' attacks, especially if, for some stupid reason, they turned against Plankton. Which wouldn't happen, since Plankton seldom made mistakes.

"Orb Knot!" Ropes of energy lashed out from the orb, wrapped around the humans, lifted them in the air. Fisheye clapped his hands. "Beautiful!" He faced Plankton. "Now we can begin our journey to the oxygen."

Plankton walked toward the treedome, Fisheye following. the group of humans, tied like hair bound by a scrunchy, floated behind Fisheye. Plankton was the leader. All sea and land creatures would bow to him. Plankton would use his brainpower to command them to do his will. He would not only steal the krabby patty secret formula, but he would also gain control over Bikini Bottom. He would rule with his queen, Karen, at his side.

No one would be able to resist the master.

* * *

Fisheye followed the smallest living creature he had ever seen toward the alleged oxygen and pressure-free environment. Perhaps the underwater world would be useful to the Dead Moon Circus.

Fisheye missed the ocean, so he wanted to spend as much time as possible here. Besides, if worse came to worst, then Fisheye could use Opening Ball to send the Dead Moon Circus back to Japan, where no Guardians could stop them. Above, they could rampage and steal as many dreams as they wanted with no consequence. Their queen would gain unparalleled power.

Fisheye's selfishness, his desire to explore his homeland was keeping them here. As soon as Fisheye had regained consciousness, he should've used Opening Ball to take the Dead Moon Circus to Japan instead of fiddling with a creature that was so full of himself that he believed he had Fisheye's unfailing loyalty. He would be in for a surprise once the rest of the Dead Moon Circus awakened. Fisheye's masters were the Amazoness Quartet, Zirconia, and the queen. No one else. Not even if Plankton did take them to this alleged oxygen.

Fisheye had to make sure that the Sailor Guardians did not awaken, reach the oxygen, and defeat the Dead Moon Circus. After their lopsided battle in the tent, Fisheye didn't want to fight the Guardians until he and his allies became strong enough to defeat them. Perhaps the Guardians would be weakened because of being underwater.

Perhaps Fisheye would gain powers underwater.

If Plankton, the smallest creature on the planet, turned against Fisheye, then Fisheye would have an opportunity to try out his powers. After Plankton was blown into oblivion, Fisheye would use the Guardians as practice dummies. They'd probably be dead by the time they reached the treedome, anyhow. The Amazoness Quartet, Hawk's Eye, and Tiger's Eye were more resilient than the Guardians, even if their performance in the tent said otherwise. They had to train and unlock their potential. They weren't weak; they just weren't strong enough to defeat the Guardians.

Defeating the Guardians was all that mattered. But Fisheye wanted the Dead Moon Circus to be the most powerful group on the planet. Maybe the Amazoness Quartet and Queen Nehellenia did, too. Even if the queen only wanted to steal dreams and transform those dreams into nightmares.

In his two-day lifespan, Fisheye had never met Queen Nehellenia. He must be at the bottom of the totem pole, so a prole like him wouldn't be allowed to meet the highest person on the pole until he did something extraordinarily good or bad. Hopefully good, or the queen would incinerate him.

All he knew about the queen was that she was powerful yet trapped in a mirror. She was also the most beautiful living being in the world. With her looks, she could seduce anyone. Maybe the sea creatures, too.

Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia must be wondering where the rest of the Dead Moon Circus had gone. Would they believe that the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio were skipping their duties to steal dreams? Or would they believe that the Guardians had annihilated the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio? After each performance, the Amazoness Quartet reported how many dreams they were able to confiscate and steal.

They were searching for the Golden Crystal, which would release the queen from the mirror.

A world under the queen's rule... Hopefully, the queen would give Fisheye command of the underwater world. Fisheye had the potential to be a leader. Even if Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye teased him all the time. Fisheye would use Plankton as a footstool. Or as his second-in-command.

Plankton had the smarts, but his pride and desperation to achieve his dreams were problematic. Desperation made humans more vulnerable, like Sailor Mercury had been before Fisheye had attracted who he thought had been all of the Guardians, only to discover four more.

There were a lot of Guardians to defeat.

The Dead Moon Circus had many members, too. Seven core members, then Zirconia, then the queen. But the Dead Moon Circus could also use Lemures as needed. Seven against eleven was tough to defeat.

But four against seven were tough odds when it came to the Guardians. Thank goodness five of them had been defeated easily.

Easily…

Had they been defeated too easily?

Fisheye couldn't become bogged down in the details. He had to focus on wherever this little green hotdog was taking him.

Screams and strange, artificial-sounding laughter filled the area.

Plankton stopped, Fisheye nearly crushing the creature with his foot. "Did I mention our robot problem?"

"No." Fisheye almost said, "But you probably should've" and then corrected himself, saying, "But should you have, Master?"

Plankton grinned, looking as though he had been entranced by Fisheye's calling him "Master." He said, "Master Plankton. Yes, I will have my subordinates call me Master… Better yet, King Plankton. Yes…"

"Uh, Master?"

Plankton whipped around. "Don't interrupt the master while he's fantasizing. Anyhow, I _am_ always right, so should I have mentioned the robots? No, because I knew that you would be strong enough to protect me from them." He caressed an antenna. "I'm too delicate and important to be hurt."

Fisheye looked past his annoying, temporary master. A UFO-like robot spun, its five hands blurring as it smacked a fish repeatedly into a volleyball net. A robot that looked like a dog but with a giant jaw breathed out green smoke onto several civilian fish. One's eyes watered. A blonde fish's hair burned off due to the robot's breath. Perhaps the robots had defeated the Guardians instead.

"Your job as my lackey is to keep me safe," Plankton said. "Therefore, I command you to keep me safe from these robots. I don't care how you do it." He stroked his antenna. "Make sure that not even one of the precious antennae on my head is harmed."

"Yes, Master." Fisheye ran ahead of Plankton, the small creature directing Fisheye verbally as to where to go.

Fisheye tossed Lemures from his hands. The black, spiky, grinning balls overtook the robots, surrounded them, clamped onto them, smashed them. They pulled back from the robots' remains. For the most part, they were silent killers, preferring to speak in nightmares.

"Just like that," Plankton said. "I never expected a lackey to be strong and to have lackeys of his own. My lackeys have lackeys, so I have more lackeys than I thought, which means my army is bigger than I thought, which means that I'll be able to defeat these robots and get the krabby patty secret formula."

Fisheye and Plankton continued, Fisheye leading the way, Plankton being a backseat driver, the heap of humans floating behind them. Fisheye defeated robots with his Lemures, not needing CereCere's Opening Ball to suck them into another dimension. As they ran, Plankton chuckled to himself, saying that all these fools would bow down to him thanks to his army and his army's army. No one would defy him anymore, crush him because they "didn't see him."

Fisheye ignored Plankton's fantasies. He'd invade Plankton's dreams after they retrieved the alleged oxygen from this alleged place.

A dome sat ahead. A tree towered in the middle of the dome, its leaves touching the ceiling.

"There it is." Plankton stepped beside Fisheye. "The famous treedome, built by that squirrel woman. I've never been inside myself. Because there's no water. Which means that I wouldn't survive inside. SpongeBob and his idiot friend, who happens to be my future minion, go inside quite a bit. They must use some sort of technology each time they go inside." He rubbed his chin. "What could be the ingenious invention?"

He stepped to the treedome's door, turned the wheel that served as the handle, spinning it. The door swung open, the small hallway brimming with seawater, another door ahead leading to the inside.

Fisheye glanced over his shoulder, at his allies and enemies floating together. He took out PallaPalla's Amazon Stone. He'd better ask his "master" for permission to keep up the façade of loyalty. "Master, may I retrieve my own allies from this ball and leave the others outside? If they all wake up together in the treedome, they won't get along well. We fought above ground." Better to be honest than mince words and have Plankton not understand anything, which would lead to his being a distraction in the hellfire of the Guardians versus the Dead Moon Circus.

"You have a point." Plankton jabbed a finger onto his chest to appear macho. Everything Plankton did was an attempt to appear bigger than everyone. "But I am the ultimate sayer, so what I say goes. And what I say is…you have a point."

All that buildup just to agree with Fisheye?

"So, yes, they may remain outside while we retrieve the goods."

Controlling the Amazon Stone, Fisheye untangled the Guardians from the rest of the Dead Moon Circus, letting the Guardians drop onto the sand. With Orb Knot whipping around them, Fisheye controlled the heap of his allies.

Plankton pointed toward the treedome. "And now, into the treedome we go. As long as there aren't any defense mechanisms set up, we'll be good. If there are, I can figure out how to deactivate them or outsmart them. No one in Bikini Bottom is smarter than I, Plankton. Not even a supposedly genius talking squirrel." He waved his hand toward Fisheye. "Besides, I have you to do all the fighting."

How had Plankton gotten through Bikini Bottom by himself without Fisheye, against all these robots? Fisheye had summoned hundreds of Lemures to fight the robots. He couldn't imagine fighting the robots without powers.

Plankton opened the treedome's door, and the water surrounding them spilled onto the grass. Oxygen filled the entryway. He gasped for air.

No way did Plankton have powers. He lacked basic common sense.

"Water, I need…" Plankton grasped at his throat.

A cup lay on the ground.

Fisheye could either fill the cup with the seawater outside and put it on Plankton's head, or he could let Plankton die.

Would Plankton be helpful to the Dead Moon Circus?

Perhaps.

Fisheye would rather keep Plankton alive and on his side in case he ended up being helpful, like for defeating whoever this SpongeBob was. SpongeBob's very name screamed that he was a good guy who would oppose the Dead Moon Circus.

SpongeBob's very name didn't sound threatening, either. If Fisheye had learned anything, it was to never underestimate anyone. Not even someone like Plankton.

Fisheye took the cup, left the treedome, filled the cup with water, popped the cup onto Plankton's head. Plankton hyperventilated, clutching at his throat.

"Pardon my speaking out of turn," Fisheye said, "but you should be able to breathe now."

Plankton stopped hyperventilating. "Oh. Yes, I can. Great job, my lackey. My genius must be rubbing off on you."

If Plankton's genius had rubbed off on Fisheye, then Fisheye would be dead from stupidity.

"Pardon my speaking out of turn again, Master, but the rest of the humans should be awakening as well." Giddiness filled Fisheye as he turned toward the Dead Moon Circus. His friends and allies should be awakening soon.

And awakening they were.

"Yes," Plankton hissed. He laughed, a low rumbling from the deepest sections of his stomach. "The revenge and chaos we'll unleash…"

CereCere opened her eyes. PallaPalla yawned.

Fisheye's true masters were back.

Together, they would dominate the Moon Kingdom, Japan, and the ocean and create an inescapable nightmare for all.


	22. Coup de Main

**Chapter Twenty-two: Coup de Main**

VesVes could breathe.

The beast tamer parted her eyes. She lay on grass, on her back. Beside her curled her sisters, Hawk's Eye, and Tiger's Eye, all of whom stirred. Hadn't Opening Ball been set to whisk them underwater, where the rest of the Guardians had been killed? Grass wasn't underwater.

A lone oak tree towered before her. Strange for an oak tree to grow in isolation. Maybe VesVes was too used to the jungle, which she had faint memories of even though she had always been part of the Dead Moon Circus. She didn't have many memories from her younger years, of a mother or father. She remembered Queen Nehellenia, which was as close to a mother as VesVes and her sisters had. The queen had raised the Amazoness Quartet, so VesVes would do anything to please her. Which meant that VesVes and her sisters had to find the Golden Crystal.

VesVes sat up too fast; her head spun. Her sisters, Tiger's Eye, and Hawk's Eye were silent. A rarity for the boisterous Dead Moon Circus.

Before them stood Fisheye. He must've brought them to the grassy haven so they wouldn't drown, like the rest of the Guardians had. PallaPalla was ingenious, creating the Amazon Trio, especially one who could breathe underwater. She had indirectly caused the Guardians' death. Now, no one could stop them from freeing the queen with the Golden Crystal.

A brownish-green creature stood beside Fisheye, tall enough to reach VesVes' ankle.

"Good, you survived. Just goes to show how great of a job I did picking a resilient new army." A grin split the creature's face. "I am Plankton, your commander, your ruler, your—"

VesVes' hand shot out, grasping the creature that called himself Plankton, squishing him, his one eye bulging. "You're not the boss of us. Only that old hag, Zirconia, is. And our queen."

Plankton gagged, squiggling in VesVes' grip.

"PallaPalla thinks he's trying to say he's sorry," PallaPalla said. "Hey, PallaPalla can breathe. And she can talk underwater." She clapped her hands. "How cool is this."

CereCere patted the grass. "We're underwater, but we're sitting on grass. And there's water surrounding this…place. It looks like we're in a dome."

Plankton struggled more vigorously.

VesVes blinked at Plankton, whose body purpled. "Oh, right. Fisheye, do you think we should keep him alive? I'm guessing you're the only one who got to talk to this idiot on your way here."

"Sure did." Fisheye regarded Plankton with half-lidded eyes. "I suppose you should let him go. He'll probably be helpful to us. I'm not from this part of the sea. Trust me, this place is much different than my home was. We'll need him as a guide."

VesVes let go of Plankton, and Plankton tumbled onto the grass, the water-filled cup he wore jostling, knocking his head about.

Plankton righted himself, gazing up at the glaring Dead Moon Circus. Of course he was intimidated. "Uh, hi, giant human-like creatures. Believe it or not, this situation—you guys surrounding me intimidatingly—is déjà vu to me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." VesVes had no patience for idiocy, dawdling, or cowardice. She wanted Plankton to show them where the Golden Crystal was. "Tell us what's going on here."

Plankton spewed words like he was barfing.

JunJun jabbed a finger into Plankton's mouth. "We can't understand a word you're saying."

Water spilled from Plankton's eye. Was he crying? Quite a thing to do, especially since he had acted tough. Laughable, a wiener trying to be strong when being small and powerful was nigh impossible in the beast kingdom.

If Plankton qualified as a beast, then VesVes could control him. She could make a lion suck its thumb, if lions had thumbs.

VesVes reached for the whip hanging at her waist.

CereCere grabbed her wrist. "Hold on," she whispered. "We need to find out as much as we can from this thing."

Plankton peered up at the Dead Moon Circus, bottom lip quivering. A little threat, and he broke. "I built these robots. Now, you have to admit, making these robots was a genius idea. But I forgot to switch my Duplicatotron to 'Obey,' and now the robots are rampaging around Bikini Bottom. Which is fine, but they're not doing my bidding. And I want them to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula."

"Krabby Patty?" Tiger's Eye said. "Does it have crabs in it?" He licked his lips. Tigers didn't often come in contact with seafood. The beast inside Tiger's Eye would be interested in eating Bikini Bottom's fish raw. Even though Tiger's Eye was a humanoid, he could open his jaw wide enough to swallow giant fish whole.

Speaking of giant, the group must've shrunk when they were transported here. Fish were ordinarily much smaller than humans.

Plankton swung his leg back and forth. "Er, I don't know what it's made of. I'm trying to steal the formula so I can duplicate it and make my chum the best food in Bikini Bottom. Heck, with my brilliance, I could enhance the formula to make it better."

"But you haven't been able to recreate it yourself," CereCere said. "What makes you think you can improve the formula at all?"

Plankton faltered, like he'd been crushed by a rock. "I am not deterred." He raised a fist into the air, his fear forgotten. "My dream will come true. No matter what, I will get the Krabby Patty secret formula."

The Dead Moon Circus exchanged looks, PallaPalla's mouth O-shaped, Hawk's Eye raising his eyebrows repeatedly, thinking he looked clever and subtle but just looking stupid.

People were willing to do anything to fulfill their dreams. With Lemures, the Dead Moon Circus could morph dreams into nightmares, enslaving others to them and, by extension, their queen.

Once they freed Queen Nehellenia, she'd have her own puppets, humans and possibly fish, to play with. She would be ecstatic with the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio.

"We can help you." CereCere softened her eyes, looking innocent when she was anything but.

Plankton's brow creased. "H-huh?"

"We can get the Krabby Patty secret formula for you. We owe you so much for bringing us here to save our lives. We wouldn't have survived without you."

Plankton rubbed his hands, hunching over and chuckling. "Then I still have my own army," he said softly. "Plankton is, indeed, a genius. I've proved you wrong, Karen."

JunJun opened her mouth, but CereCere put a finger to JunJun's lips. "Not now. Let him think he's smart. It'll make it easier to take over his dreams."

Plankton sunk. "Karen…" He straightened, facing the humans. Tiger's Eye scowled. Plankton shrunk. "Uh, if it wouldn't be so much trouble, in addition to you stealing the secret formula, I'd love it if you saved my wife, Karen, who's still inside the Chum Bucket. My restaurant's been taken over by robots. And she's a computer, y'see, so she's ripe for the robots to infect her with a virus or fall in love with her, stealing her heart from mine." He stroked his antennae. "No matter how irresistible I am, if those robots install a virus on Karen, then she could forget who I am. Or worse, her personality—a software program I created—could be installed on a robot. Then, if that robot is destroyed and that software lost…" Plankton's eyes grew distant. "I can't imagine life without her."

Plankton was a sucker for love, too. Another vulnerability. Despite his stature, he was full of energy. The queen would be pleased to have Plankton on her team. VesVes could whip the arrogance and annoyingness out of him.

"Look, we've already got the rest of the Guardians here." Fisheye pointed outside, to a heap of four floating Guardians who the Dead Moon Circus had fought in the tent. "I don't know if they're dead yet, but I brought them here so no one found them and kept them alive."

"Brilliant, Fisheye." CereCere turned to PallaPalla. "Creating the Amazon Trio was the best thing you've done."

PallaPalla twirled on the balls of her feet. "Thank you," she sang.

"Can't I get…a bit more credit?" Fisheye muttered. Well, Fisheye had been the cause of the Guardians' downfall, so that did call for some recognition.

"The Guardians are officially done for," JunJun said. "We have full reign of Earth _and_ the moon. Reigning over the galaxy is going to be so much fun."

"Don't forget about me," Plankton said, bold now that he believed the Dead Moon Circus wouldn't hurt him. "I'm the one who kept you alive. And I'm your master, which means that I rule over the galaxy, not you."

VesVes reached for her whip. Plankton desperately needed to be lashed.

CereCere grabbed her wrist once more. "Not now."

"At the very least, we can rule together. But I rule at least eighty percent of the galaxy." Plankton flipped his hand like he was shooing them away. "You can split the rest amongst yourselves."

"How generous of you," JunJun said.

Plankton nodded twice. "That's right. Your praises do not fall on deaf ears. Not only is Plankton a genius, but he is also a generous genius. Hm, that has a nice ring to it. I'm not sure if I would like you to call me a generous genius or keep calling me your master. Tough choice."

VesVes could think of many things she'd rather call Plankton.

"For now, keep calling me your master."

"Gladly, Master," CereCere said.

"Ah, obedient lackeys. Beautiful. I wish my robots were behaving like you. Maybe a good talking-to is what they need instead of the Duplicatotron being switched to 'Obey.'"

JunJun turned toward the floating Guardians, who seemed like they weren't breathing. "I wonder if they're dead by now."

"Should be," VesVes said. "No one can survive for that long." The Circus and Plankton had been talking inside the dome for a long time, not counting the length of time that Fisheye had spent with Plankton. The Guardians had to be dead, even if they descended from the Moon Kingdom and lived long, almost eternal, lives. They were still mortal and human.

Maybe they should annihilate the Guardians with their Lemures, just to make sure.

Outside, the sky split open.

A giant green man ripped the sky open with his hands like the sky was cloth instead of…sky.

Sailor Moon; her boyfriend, the prince; and the rest of the Guardians rode a cloud out of the broken sky.

The green man waved goodbye and closed the sky like a curtain.

VesVes' mouth went dry.

Fisheye hadn't killed the Guardians.

The treedome fell silent. VesVes' sisters and the Trio had been rendered speechless, too.

She had no words.

* * *

Chibi-Usa couldn't believe that she had ridden on a cloud like she was in an anime. She had thought many things happened only in anime, but Bikini Bottom proved her wrong, with its physics-defying stunts.

Mamoru helped Chibi-Usa and then Usagi to the sand. Usagi was too stunned from riding a cloud, meeting a sea god, and traveling to the legendary Atlantis to complain that Mamoru had helped Chibi-Usa first. One way to keep Chibi-Usa and Usagi's rivalry for Mamoru's attention at bay.

The Guardians had been dropped off between Sandy's treedome and SpongeBob's pineapple. Chibi-Usa looked around to see if any more robots were around.

The Outer Guardians floated, entangled in ropes of white light near the treedome's walls.

If it could have, her jaw would've hit the sand.

The Outer Guardians' eyes were closed. No way could they survive underwater, not even Sailor Neptune, who was the Guardian of the Ocean. Unless King Neptune's blessing of the pressure not affecting the younger Guardians extended to the Outer Guardians.

Behind the Outer Guardians, in Sandy's treedome, stood Fisheye. And were those the rest of the Dead Moon Circus? And was that Plankton standing with them?

Every member of the Circus gawked at the Guardians, some blanching. They must've thought the Guardians were dead.

Here was a perfect opportunity to finish the Dead Moon Circus. One blow would be all it took. The younger Guardians had to hurry inside the treedome, bringing the Outer Guardians.

Sandy lassoed the Outer Guardians, her lasso tightening around the snakes of energy. Someone from the Quartet or Trio must be controlling the energy and, thus, the Outer Guardians' movement.

Sandy rushed to her treedome, pulling the Outer Guardians behind her, thrust open the door, ran inside the hallway, and then kicked open the second door. She pulled the Outers toward the inside of the treedome.

Fisheye jolted as though he had been awakened from a deep sleep. He tugged back an orb that he held in his hand, and the Outer Guardians were pulled back toward the ocean. Sandy tugged; Sandy and Fisheye were engaged in a tug of war.

Usagi hurried toward the inside of the treedome, moving faster than Chibi-Usa had ever seen, not only because she was no longer slowed by a bulky deep sea dive suit, but also because she wanted to save her friends, making her more athletic than usual. Usagi raised her Moon Kaleidoscope. Chibi-Usa ran to join Usagi; even someone as powerful as Sailor Moon couldn't defeat the enemies alone.

"Mama, we have to do this together," Chibi-Usa called.

"Okay." Usagi pointed her Moon Kaleidoscope toward the Dead Moon Circus, past Sandy. Chibi-Usa did the same with her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope.

Together, Sailors Moon and Chibi-Moon said, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Rainbow light burst from their weapons, merging into one train-sized beam.

The beam engulfed the Dead Moon Circus. Their screams filled the treedome, quaked the sea. The beam decimated the grass and blew through the polyurethane that the dome was comprised of, shattering part of it, water pouring inside the treedome, the pressure returning. When the beam faded, the Dead Moon Circus and Plankton were gone, a brown trench left. Chibi-Moon and Sailor Moon hadn't been aiming for Plankton, so he should have survived, although he might be unconscious for a few days.

The Dead Moon Circus might be done for, but the Outer Guardians needed oxygen. When the Dead Moon Circus and Plankton had been blasted away, the ropes of energy surrounding the Outer Guardians had faded, and the Outer Guardians had fallen onto the grass.

Yet the Outer Guardians stirred.

Had King Neptune given them the ability to live underwater? His power must have extended to all humans who needed oxygen to survive, even ones who had not been involved in saving his Poseidome. Perhaps he believed that every human could save Bikini Bottom.

The Outers were transformed into their Sailor counterparts. Chibi-Usa hurried to her best friend, Hotaru, and crouched, grasping Hotaru's arm.

Hotaru opened her eyes. "Chibi-Usa-chan… I'm so glad we found each other again. I…I missed you."

Chibi-Usa found herself almost not being able to speak, choking on tears. "Me too."

* * *

The power flowed through Sailor Neptune.

The ocean, the fish, all the sea creatures called out to her, strengthened her. One attack would eradicate the Dead Moon Circus. The world would be peaceful again.

Her eyes shot open, pupils contracted. Focused. Rei, transformed into Sailor Mars, stood before her, recoiled at the look in Neptune's eyes. Sailor Neptune softened her expression, looking more like Michiru Kaiou than Sailor Neptune.

"Hello, Rei." Michiru sat upright. She wanted to unleash all her power on the Dead Moon Circus. She'd never felt so much power swell through her, ready to burst.

"Michiru-san, you're okay." Rei smiled the broadest smile Michiru had ever seen. Usually, Rei was stoic. Her relief at seeing her friend alive caused her to smile.

Michiru's surroundings—the brown patches remaining of the grass on which she sat, the oak tree, the blueness outside the domed field, her allies—were sharper than they had ever been in Japan, like she was seeing things for the first time through an ultra high-definition camera.

Michiru and the rest of the Guardians were inside a dome, a hole where Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon's attack had blown through, where the Dead Moon Circus had crashed through the polyurethane.

The other half of the Sailor Team surrounded Rei; so did the other Outer Guardians. Hotaru had awakened, sitting near Chibi-Usa. Haruka rubbed her head. Setsuna took in the environment silently.

Michiru looked around some more, almost smacking her head on a protruding pink stomach, a lint-filled belly button in front of her nose. A smell of roast beef, chicken, and pizza wafted into her nose.

She shot onto her feet, towering over the pointy-headed pink creature. Looked like a starfish with eyes.

The starfish standing on two legs gaped. "Wow, you're glowing green. You guys do some cool stuff. You gotta teach me how to glow. I'd love to glow in the dark."

Michiru didn't take her eyes off the starfish but, in her peripheral vision, she could see a reflection of herself in the remaining polyurethane. A cerulean glow surrounded her, and her hair rippled upward. Her eyes had lightened to a bright turquoise instead of their usual deep green.

"You sure do look mad," the talking starfish said.

The starfish was talking.

A walking sponge with round blue eyes and buck teeth stepped beside the starfish. So did a walking squirrel clad in a white suit.

Haruka stepped beside Michiru. "Two questions: Where the hell did the Dead Moon Circus take us, and who the hell are you?"

The sponge and the starfish gasped, scrambling backward.

"Ooh, you said a naughty word—twice." The sponge pointed at Haruka's chest. "I'm gonna tell your mama." He ran toward the door. Stopped. Turned around. "Uh, who's your mama?"

Haruka's expression darkened. Did not warrant a response.

Usagi walked toward Haruka and Michiru, waving down her hands. "Now, now, no need to be mean to each other. Michiru-san, if you don't mind, could you turn off your glowing? We're not trying to be scary."

The starfish, sponge, and squirrel would fit right into the Dead Moon Circus. Perhaps the Dead Moon Circus had transformed an ordinary sea sponge, starfish, and squirrel into humanoids. But the humanoids resembled a six-year-old's depiction of a starfish, sponge, and squirrel. If the Dead Moon Circus had meant these three to be fearsome, then they hadn't done a good job.

On the other hand, the Circus could be aiming to make their enemies unintimidating so that the Guardians didn't fight them seriously. The starfish, sponge, and squirrel could be capable of destroying the world, bringing down mountains, drying out oceans, brainwashing others. Michiru couldn't underestimate them.

Even if Usagi and the younger Guardians, who had likely been here longer than the Outer Guardians, seemed to trust the animals, the three creatures could be part of a scheme to get the Guardians to trust them before attacking. No matter how cute and innocent these creatures looked, Michiru could not let her guard down.

"I can't stop glowing." Michiru didn't want to. Couldn't show weakness in front of these too-adorable creatures. She didn't say she couldn't stop because her power threatened to explode. She wanted these creatures to underestimate her so that she could defeat them in one fell swoop.

Perhaps keeping them alive would work to the Guardians' advantage. They could learn the Dead Moon Circus' motives and weaknesses, about who lorded over them.

Maybe the younger Guardians had also realized that keeping these creatures alive would be better for now. They might have had gleaned information about the Dead Moon Circus from the creatures.

Michiru's glow reflected in the starfish's black eyes. "I don't want her to stop glowing," the starfish said. "It's way too cool. Not even Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy can do this. Unless I've never seen them glow before. They have to be able to glow. Right, SpongeBob?"

"Uh, right, Patrick," the sponge said slowly, looking Michiru up and down.

"I think I understand why Sailor Neptune's power seems to be amplified." An ocean blue glow surrounded Ami. "My power is feeding off of hers."

Sailor Mercury and Sailor Neptune controlled similar elements. Sailor Mercury controlled water in general while Sailor Neptune commanded the seas.

The blueness outside, the water pouring in through the treedome's hole, the pressure, the _power_ …

"Are we underwater?" Setsuna said before Michiru could guess.

Sailor Mercury nodded. She explained that the younger Guardians and Mamoru had ended up at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean after Fisheye had opened a vortex to transport them here, expecting them to die, letting the Dead Moon Circus rule Earth. They'd been saved by SpongeBob, the sponge; Patrick, the starfish; and Sandy, the squirrel.

Perhaps the sea creatures weren't the enemy, or they wouldn't have saved the other Guardians. Leaving the Guardians to drown would've been easy.

After a wish from SpongeBob, or more accurately, a small creature called Plankton who Usagi had blasted away with the Dead Moon Circus (Usagi hoped he wasn't dead because he wasn't heinous like the Dead Moon Circus) had unleashed a robot army into Bikini Bottom. The Guardians were trying to save Bikini Bottom.

Makoto said a robot-constructed lab was under Goo Lagoon, a beach, and that there were likely more labs scattered throughout Bikini Bottom, where the robots were building robots out of the civilians, wanting to replicate the humans' power.

Minako explained that, thanks to saving the sea god's, King Neptune's, Poseidome in Atlantis, they had gained the power to breathe underwater and to survive on the ocean floor without succumbing to the pressure.

"It's a good thing you ended up near us," Usagi said. "Or else you would've died from not being able to breathe, but King Neptune probably made it so all of us could live underwater."

"The Dead Moon Circus would've left us for dead, too," Setsuna said. "They must've been planning on keeping us near them until we died. That way, no one else could save us like SpongeBob and his friends did." She smiled softly at the sea creatures and the squirrel. "You're heroes in your own right."

SpongeBob's eyes twinkled. "Really really?"

"Uh, yes." The sponge and starfish seemed childlike.

Rei straightened. "I'm sorry, everyone, but I still sense our enemies. They've survived somehow." Her eyebrows arched at Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon. "Even your attacks didn't defeat them."

"But how could they have survived?" Haruka said. "Sailor Moon's the most powerful, and when her attack combines with Sailor Chibi-Moon's… Does this mean that they're immune to our attacks?"

"Did King Neptune make it so they could survive underwater, too?" Ami said.

"Whatever's going on," Mamoru said, "we have to find them as soon as possible. I'm more afraid of them than of the robots."

Haruka crossed her arms. "So while we're down here, we'll be saving Bikini Bottom from not only the robots but the Dead Moon Circus, too."

"Sounds about right." Minako threw open her arms. "Hey, let's focus on what's gone right. We're together, everyone. It's something to celebrate."

Michiru allowed herself a fleeting smile. Although she was thankful that the younger Guardians were fine, they had much work to do to win the battle for Bikini Bottom.

Now, the Outer Guardians had joined Sailor Moon and the younger Guardians, could combine their strength.

The Sailor Team was complete.


	23. Strategic Mass

**Chapter Twenty-three: Strategic Mass**

Haruka should've been staring at the two glowing Guardians, Mercury and Neptune, but she stared at the animals instead.

A sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. Easy-to-remember name.

A starfish named Patrick Star. Easy-to-remember name.

A squirrel named Sandy Cheeks. Didn't make sense in the context of the other animals' names, but easy enough to remember.

Who named these animals?

Maybe their parents. Logical conclusion.

These were the strangest animals Haruka had seen. They walked on two legs, even the starfish and sponge, who weren't supposed to have legs.

The first sign that Haruka wasn't in Japan anymore: animals walking on two legs. _Fish,_ for that matter.

And the animals talked. Sign number two.

Sign the third: the treedome Haruka and the rest of her teammates stood in. A grassy field. A dome covering the area, except for the hole, compliments of Moon Gorgeous Meditation. The squirrel took a remote control out of her suit's pocket and pressed a button. A metal patch covered the hole. A smart move from the super-smart squirrel, making ways for the treedome to repair itself within seconds so that water and pressure didn't fill the area.

Haruka was glad that Sailor Mercury's and Sailor Neptune's powers were amplified and fed off each other. But could they stop glowing? If they were ever in a situation in which they needed to hide, then Sailor Mercury and Sailor Neptune would compromise their whereabouts.

Since the two Guardians were the most powerful, then it didn't matter who found them; with the water-wielding Guardians' attacks and Sailor Moon's attacks combined, no one would be able to stand against the Sailor Team.

If Sailor Neptune's attacks were more powerful due to being underwater, would Sailor Neptune have more energy, too? Better…intimately?

Michiru cast Haruka a raised eyebrow. "Does your mind always go to naughty places whenever things happen, specifically to me?"

Oh, Michiru, reading through Haruka as quickly as she read violin sheet music of Beethoven's Third Symphony. Haruka blinked. "Maybe."

"And trying to act all innocent." Michiru shook her head. Her hair rippled upward, her eyes lighter than their normal turquoise. Set Haruka aflame. Usually, Haruka preferred the dark, but a glowing Michiru…

"Your mind is still going there."

Michiru was intentionally speaking louder, bless her heart, and Chibi-Usa turned her innocent little head toward them as the rest of the team prattled on about whether to pursue the Dead Moon Circus and kill them while they were weakened or to go after the robots.

Haruka gasped. "Not in front of the children."

Chibi-Usa rubbed the tip of her ear. "You grown-ups think kids are so innocent. I know all about what you guys are talking about. I'm well aware of what my mother and father do every night."

Everyone quieted and turned toward Chibi-Usa. Mamoru's and Usagi's cheeks crimsoned at the same time.

Ami placed both hands on her own cheeks, bowing her head. "My, my, my."

"Do what every night?" SpongeBob said. Apparently, the thirty-something sponge and his thirty-something starfish friend, who looked as confused as the sponge, were more innocent than a 902-year-old child trapped in a ten-year-old's body and brain.

"P-p-play games every night," Usagi spluttered. Realized how she sounded and then clarified, "Board games. Not any other type of games." Mamoru flushed deeper.

SpongeBob jumped, shoes fluttering like wings. "Ooh, sounds like fun. I'd love to join you sometime."

Haruka visualized the scene. Two humans and a sponge. Likely illegal.

"R-right." Mamoru coughed, once, twice, three times. Coughs were the universal sign for changing the subject from an awkward topic to a not-so-awkward topic.

But Mamoru kept coughing and didn't stop.

His cough turned into a hack.

Usagi hurried to Mamoru, grabbing his arm so that he leaned on her. "Mamo-chan. Someone, get water, quick."

"Patrick to the rescue." The starfish rushed to Mamoru's back and hammered a fist onto the top of his back. His cough didn't end. "This worked last time."

Usagi's brow creased.

Mamoru shook, his body racking with the coughs.

"I'll go get water." On all-fours, Sandy hurried up her tree, disappearing into a hole within the bark. Seconds later, she returned, carrying a pitcher of water. "Here, drink this."

Mamoru parted his watering eyes. Stared at the pitcher.

"C'mon, man, you gotta lift your head."

Mamoru hesitated, watching the pitcher like he'd rather have the water leap into his mouth instead of making a simple movement. He lifted his head.

A thick black goo was splattered on his sleeve, darkening his tuxedo. The goo was splattered over his mouth, the immediate area around his mouth covered like he had eaten spaghetti too quickly. But the liquid was far from marinara sauce (which was a strange comparison for Haruka to be thinking of at a time like this).

Mamoru looked at the ground. Ashamed.

Usagi loosened her grip on Mamoru. "Mamo-chan, what's going on?" Her wide eyes showed that she had no idea that Mamoru was coughing black…blood? The liquid had the viscosity and stickiness of blood. The metallic smell of blood filled the air, engulfing the smell of the charred grass, the leaves on the oak tree, stealing the treedome's tranquility.

The treedome had fallen silent. Patrick had frozen in mid-slap, gaping. SpongeBob's jaw had literally hit the grass, a reaction that would've been comical if Mamoru wasn't hacking blood. Looked like the man had coughed out all of his intestines.

Setsuna squared her facial expression. "How long?"

"A few weeks now." Mamoru kept his eyes on the ground, not daring to look at Usagi's glistening eyes. "It's been happening since before we came to Bikini Bottom."

Usagi let the tear course down her cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mamoru looked into Usagi's eyes. "I didn't want to hurt you."

She stepped back. "But you hurt me more since you didn't tell me."

Mamoru kept looking into Usagi's eyes, not saying a word. Haruka felt like she was watching a soap opera. She and Michiru never became this sappy with each other. But if Michiru were coughing black blood and wasn't telling Haruka, then the couple could end up behaving like Usagi and Mamoru.

Even the animals realized how sensitive the situation was. Patrick, thankfully, didn't open his mouth to say something idiotic and insensitive.

"I don't know why it's happening." Mamoru's gaze from her eyes didn't waver. Usagi's bottom lip quivered ever so slightly. Usagi was holding in her tears the best she could.

"I see." Usagi forced a smile. Even after everyone had seen the distress encompassing her face, she tried to mask her feelings behind a smile. "I, I do hope that we figure it out. Get you healed up." Her eyes darted every which way. There was nowhere to hide from her friends and let all her tears out privately. "Actually, I know we'll figure it out." She brightened her voice, not letting the anguish be heard. Usagi was trying so hard.

Would Haruka and Michiru hide these types of important things from each other? Haruka tried to be transparent with Michiru.

Perhaps Haruka was being naïve. Perhaps not. Usagi and Mamoru's relationship had a different dynamic than Haruka and Michiru's, and that was okay.

"Listen, I know it's dangerous outside," Usagi said, her smile shaking, too, "but I think we should go check on Gary. Better yet, I could check on him myself while the rest of you stay here and relax. I have plenty of energy left, and I could clear out a few more robots."

The silence that fell over the treedome was more awkward than when Usagi and Mamoru had begun talking and needed privacy but there was no place to go. Usagi suggesting that they check on Gary—who the hell was Gary?—was so random it was almost laughable. Usagi was trying to get away from everyone. She desperately needed to get someplace by herself, had started coming up with ridiculous excuses about why she needed to be alone.

Mamoru could only look at Usagi with eyes full of regret. If he could've handled the situation differently, then he would have. He should've stopped the mysterious and stoic act and told Usagi hard things. She could handle difficult situations, like being a Guardian and finding out about her past life.

Keeping secrets led to Usagi finding out on her own and hurting her more than she would've been if Mamoru had told her in the first place.

The only way that Mamoru could have kept things to himself was by pushing Usagi away. And it felt as though he had pushed her away in this case, as shown by the growing physical distance between he and Usagi. The fact that Mamoru and Usagi had hit a bump in their relationship publicly dumped alcohol onto the open wound.

"It might be a better idea if you headed up in my tree for a bit," Sandy said. "From there, you can get a good vantage point to see all the robots you want. Go scout them out without actually goin' out there, tell us what area we should hit next."

"Great idea," Minako said.

"Yes, great, I'll tell you all what I find out." Usagi speedwalked away, her walk bordering on a run. She couldn't have left fast enough. Even her last sentence had been uttered quickly, the words jumbled together so that Haruka almost didn't understand.

Thank goodness for Sandy's quick wits and timing, sending Usagi someplace private. Unexpectedly, the squirrel was insightful, able to read a room and human emotions. Were squirrels and humans more alike than Haruka thought?

Not even Makoto offered to go up with Usagi. Makoto was often the first to offer comfort, but she must recognize that Usagi needed to be by herself.

Mamoru stared after Usagi. He wanted to go after her, but there was nothing he could do.

"I don't know what just happened," Patrick said.

SpongeBob shook his head. "I understand not, either, but I have this ache in my heart. Oh, for the sake of love." He tugged at his shirt. "Oh, for humanity, it hurts." He wiped a tear from his giant eye. "What I just witnessed…I don't know why, but now I feel so sad. These feelings... Augh!" He collapsed into Patrick's shoulder and heaved. Patrick sobbed into SpongeBob's shoulder, and they patted each other's backs, sinking onto their knees.

"This is even sadder than the robots bending Plankton's spoons." SpongeBob's voice had become squeakier, thanks to his borderline wailing.

Patrick blew his nose into SpongeBob's sleeve. "I hope they didn't get his forks."

"Not the forks," SpongeBob and Patrick cried. They broke into fresh sobs.

Haruka looked between the sponge and the starfish. "I'm not sure what's happening now, either."

Mamoru turned toward the outside. "Regardless, I think we should start planning our next move." His voice shook, like he wasn't sure he could quickly move on after hurting Usagi.

"Agreed." Just like Michiru to be all business.

"Okay, then," Makoto said. "I guess we're moving on with the plan, whatever plan we have."

"Before we get started with planning," Ami said, "we should tell you all what Bikini Bottom is like." 

"Yes," Rei said. "Or else you'll be so lost, you won't know what to do."

"It's an anomaly, to say the least." Ami explained that Bikini Bottom had different physics from above ground. Aside from the talking fish, SpongeBob could do things like double-jump ("Like in the video games I play," Minako said, even though her statement didn't make her sound like the mature woman she begged others to treat her as); robots floated and flew; people exploded when they fell but didn't die; SpongeBob's mouth-blown bubbles were deadly; no language barrier existed between the Guardians, Mamoru, and the sea creatures despite Sandy hailing from the predominantly English-speaking United States; boxes transported folks from one place to another; cannons shot metal pufferfish and sinks; and there were bungee jumping areas almost everywhere.

When she finished, Haruka was speechless, which was hard to get Haruka to be. Haruka had a snappy comeback for everything.

Setsuna rubbed her chin. "Bikini Bottom seems like an interesting place to study."

"Very interesting," Ami said. "I've tried taking mental notes while I was here. I hope that I remember them all when we leave."

"Shucks, you shoulda said somethin' earlier," Sandy said. "I can grab some paper for you to write your ideas on."

"Let me tell you," Makoto said, "everything we've gone through deserves a book. I don't think anyone would believe us."

"I still feel like I'm dreaming," Chibi-Usa said. "Especially after Pegasus came." She explained how, in the downtown area, Pegasus—Helios—had saved her from the sink-shooting cannon. Helios was a Pegasus that acted as her protector, had asked her to protect him as well. Called her his maiden.

"Can we trust this Helios?" Michiru, getting straight to the point once again.

"Of course," Chibi-Usa said, her tone questioning why Michiru would ask. "I don't think he would've let me live if we couldn't trust him."

Michiru narrowed her eyes. "Chibi-Usa-chan, just because a villain doesn't kill you doesn't mean you can trust him. There are many other bad things he can use you for." She glanced at SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy. The three could be being unknowingly manipulated by the Dead Moon Circus.

"I'm sure Helios isn't bad. I think he's trapped somewhere, someplace he has limited energy in. He spent some of his limited energy saving me."

"Maybe, maybe not." She looked outside, at the sea feeding her power. "We have to be careful of everyone we come across, especially since we're in an unfamiliar place. As unbelievable as being underwater is, it doesn't seem like a dream to me. After all, we've traveled to different dimensions before."

SpongeBob's eyes brightened. "Did you fight the giant monkey man in the ninth dimension?" he said as Patrick said, "Did you use tapioca to teleport to the different dimensions?"

Michiru regarded SpongeBob and Patrick stoically. "I don't believe that warrants a response."

Haruka hid her smile in the crook of her arm. Damn, Michiru was being cold today.

"Hey, hey," Makoto said, "be nice. They were just asking a question."

Hotaru smiled, a rare thing, coming from her. "I think it's cute, what SpongeBob and Patrick are saying." She looked the two sea animals up and down. "Besides, they look pretty cute, too. And soft. Huggable." She was being girly today, behaving like the teenager she was instead of like a thirty-something woman. Through no fault of her own, her childhood had been stolen. Haruka could hardly believe that she had once decided to kill Hotaru because she had the misfortune of being the Guardian of Destruction. Thank goodness she and Michiru hadn't killed her. Hotaru was a blessing instead of the curse they had once thought. And, despite being in an unfamiliar place, Hotaru was the happiest Haruka had ever seen her. As long as Hotaru was around her friends, she was happy, especially since she had been alone for years before she had met the other Guardians, specifically Chibi-Usa. The pink-haired Guardian hadn't left Hotaru's side since she'd seen Hotaru. Friendship at its best.

SpongeBob cocked his head. "What about what we said doesn't warrant a response? Did we say something wrong?" 

"Probably not wrong to you," Haruka said before Michiru could say something colder, although Haruka had said something just as cold. Michiru's coldness and haughtiness had started to rub off on her, thanks to spending almost every waking moment with Michiru. Besides, Haruka kind of liked this side of Michiru. Kept things exciting.

"Must be a Japan thing," SpongeBob said.

"I think it's more of a human thing," Patrick said.

"C'mon, everyone," Makoto said. "Let's be civilized to each other. Like it or not, we'll be working together for the foreseeable future."

"Good point." Haruka glanced at Michiru. "We should try to be a little nicer," she whispered. "Besides, they seem gullible enough where if we pretend to be nice, they might not turn on us later if they think that we think that they're allies." She winced. What she'd said hadn't made much sense.

Michiru stared at Haruka as icily as she had the animals. "I suppose we can play nice for now."

There they had it. The group would be a team. A strange, dysfunctional team, but a team nonetheless.

"We've searched Jellyfish Fields, the downtown area, and Goo Lagoon," Ami said. "We didn't find the source of the robots, but we did destroy many of them."

"The source might be in a place as obvious as Plankton's lab," Setsuna said. "How far is the lab from here?"

"Right down the street," SpongeBob said. "But with all these robots around, down the street ends up being much farther than usual. And it looks like more robots are being created by the second."

"Not to mention those robots' labs," Sandy said. "Could be loads more of `em around, pumpin' out robots. So even when we reach the Chum Bucket and destroy the source, there'll be other places that the robots are coming from." 

"We'll have to search every nook and cranny," Minako said. "There are so many of us, it shouldn't take long to wipe out every trace of the robots. Especially since I have my Super form."

Haruka gestured between herself and the other Outer Guardians. "We have our Super forms, too." She grinned at Hotaru. "Thanks to Hotaru."

Minako's jaw dropped, as did Chibi-Usa's and Makoto's. "You mean, all at the same time? Without any character development?"

"Yes, all at the same time." Setsuna smiled sheepishly. "And character development…well…"

"Pfft. You guys are already perfect, so no, you didn't need any character development. Your power-ups probably just happened for you."

The Outer Guardians exchanged looks. Minako was sort of right. Haruka didn't feel like she had matured much since before and after she had gotten her Super form, and she doubted that her fellow Outer Guardians felt much different.

"Hotaru developed from a toddler to a fourteen-year-old in thirty seconds." Haruka patted Hotaru's shoulder. "That's pretty good development right there."

Minako groaned. "That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."

Haruka did. "Just trying to lighten things up a little." Especially since Mamoru hadn't spoken and continued to stare out the treedome, at the robots about. But Mamoru seemed like he had checked out a long time ago.

"Ami, Mako, and I haven't gotten our Super forms yet," Rei said. "Usagi-chan and Chibi-Usa-chan got theirs in the beginning, Usagi-chan while we were fighting the Death Busters."

Usagi and Chibi-Usa seemed to earn their upgrades after a lot of struggle, too. Maybe they had developed since the Outer Guardians had last seen them. Maybe their development would show while they traversed through Bikini Bottom.

Then again, they were the center of the Moon Kingdom, so it made sense that they would be the most powerful and get the most upgrades.

"What areas of your life do you need to mature in, Rei Hino?" Minako said, deepening her voice. "Examine your life carefully."

Rei scowled. "Don't do that."

"Aw, don't put on that queenly, serious act, Rei-chan. You know you wanna laugh at my wicked sense of humor. Or at least smile instead of hiding that smile behind a scowl."

"A, it's not an act. B, this is a genuine scowl of annoyance. C, what sense of humor?"

Haruka smiled in the crook of her arm again. Two ice queens on the same team. Should be interesting.

Minako grinned. "Just for that, I think we should team up." She stepped closer to Rei. "I sense your upgrade will come when you mature enough to like me."

Rei bowed her head, breathed into her chest, "I thought Patrick was the worst. I was wrong."

"Did I hear 'Patrick?'" Patrick jumped toward Rei. "Patrick Star coming to the rescue."

Minako's grin broadened. "Great, we'll all be on a team together."

Patrick rubbed against Rei's arm. Minako rubbed against Rei's other arm. Rei rubbed her forehead, saying, "What have I gotten myself into?"

"I'll go with you," Michiru said. Relief flooded Rei's expression. Rei was not as stoic as she believed.

Sounded crazy, but Michiru would add some sanity to the team.

"Oh, we're making teams now?" SpongeBob said. "In that case, can I go with Mamoru? He looks like my type of guy."

Mamoru continued to stare out the window, at nothing. He stared for so long that Haruka thought he hadn't heard until he said, "I don't know if I can… I think it would be best if we stayed split up, SpongeBob."

Mamoru wasn't sure he could take SpongeBob's…personality. He was too nice to be blunt.

"I need to be with Usa, though."

SpongeBob smiled. "Okay, maybe next time. But picking even though she isn't here? That's not fair." 

Mamoru turned, looking down at SpongeBob, expression somber. Looked like his dog had died instead of him arguing with his girlfriend. "I know her well enough to know that she'd agree with me."

"Normally, he'd keep pushing her away," Chibi-Usa whispered to Hotaru. "Mamoru's developing, too. I wonder if he'll get an upgrade."

"Will you go with them?" Hotaru said.

"No. I think they need as much privacy as they can get. I'm sure they'll be able to find someplace to go and smooth things over."

Ami watched Setsuna. Wanted to team up with the older Guardian. Even though Michiru's and Ami's powers built off each other, perhaps it would be better if they spread the power around. Besides, Michiru's stronger attacks would balance Rei's weaker ones.

"All us sea critters should split ourselves up so we can help the land critters," Sandy said. "That's what we did last time, and it seemed to work well." She scratched the back of her head. "Even though I did get captured. But that goes to show that y'all can find your way around fine, without anybody guidin' you. Mamoru, I can go with you and Usagi."

"I'll go with SpongeBob, then." Setsuna must be curious about the squirrel. Out of all the animals, the squirrel seemed to have the most smarts and common sense. Although she wanted to go with Sandy, she'd settle for SpongeBob for now. She'd likely get a chance to study Sandy later.

Chibi-Usa sidled up to Setsuna. "Where Puu goes, I go."

Hotaru giggled. "And where Chibi-Usa-chan goes, I go."

"I'll go with you, too," Ami piped up.

"So that leaves myself and you." Haruka turned toward Makoto. "We can join anyone we want."

Makoto glanced between Haruka and Michiru.

Haruka crossed her arms. "Can't decide which one of us you like the most, huh?"

A blush tinted Makoto's cheeks. "No, no, it's not that." Quietly, she said, "I admire the both of you." She looked in Haruka's eyes. "But I'll stay with you. I want to."

Aw, so Makoto admired Haruka. Haruka's smirk widened. Haruka wasn't sure she was capable of smiling evenly.

"We should take some time apart," Michiru said. Haruka's heart dropped. Michiru liked her alone time away from Haruka, but Haruka didn't. She'd spend the rest of her life glued to Michiru's hip if she could. "There are too many people on our team, anyway."

"We'll be with SpongeBob, Mamoru, and Usagi, then." Haruka didn't want to be with a couple going through a rough patch, but being on their team made the most sense.

"Next up, there's the Shady Shoals Rest Home leading to the Mermalair," SpongeBob said, "which, might I add, is the coolest place ever; Rock Bottom, which is not a very cool place at all; and Sand Mountain, where extreme sports rule the land. Take your pick. Although I prefer the Mermalair." 

Patrick jabbed a finger into his chest. "I wanna go to the Mermalair, too." A shiver rocked him. "Rock Bottom is dark and scary."

"You can handle the dark, Patrick. You have before. And other people will be with you."

"For Patrick's peace of mind," Rei said, "I suggest that he goes to the Mermalair."

"For your peace of mind and sanity, too, you mean," Haruka whispered. Rei blushed.

"C'mon, Patrick. I was stuck in Rock Bottom before. And the Mermalair's pretty dark, too."

"D-dark…" Patrick gulped. "Well, at least the Mermalair's cool. And it's got lots of lights." He crossed his arms. "Plus, I got stuck in Rock Bottom when I went down there to save you that time, so we're even."

"Let's settle this fair and square." SpongeBob cracked his twiglike knuckles. "With a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors." Haruka deflated. How childish could these men be?

Well, Rock-Paper-Scissors _was_ fair. It wasn't like they had many resources at their disposal.

No, Haruka shouldn't justify their childishness.

SpongeBob and Patrick stepped to each other, nose-to-no-nose, SpongeBob as tall as Patrick's belly. They stuck out their hands, both clenched, glaring each other in the eyes. The silence was deafening, like they were playing the most serious game in the history of mankind. All they needed was a commentator.

They inhaled deeply and then said in unison, "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Patrick's face fell as SpongeBob's paper covered his rock.

"Best two outta three," SpongeBob said.

Once again, SpongeBob's paper covered Patrick's rock.

"I win," SpongeBob said. "Patrick, you'd do better if you chose something other than rock. You always only choose rock."

"Well, I live under a rock." He turned up his nose. "So there."

Haruka deflated once more. Wow.

"So I'll be going to the Mermalair," SpongeBob said.

"Fine," Patrick said. "I like rocks, so we're gonna go to Rock Bottom."

Sandy pumped her fists. "Yahoo! I love Sand Mountain. You land critters are gonna love it too, guaranteed. It's kinda like goin' on a vacation."

Mamoru didn't twitch. He and Usagi could use a vacation. Sandy didn't seem the nosy type, so they might be able to get a bit of privacy in the mountain.

Haruka's smirk widened more than before. She'd enjoy Sand Mountain. Excitement covered her worry about the Dead Moon Circus.

Setsuna and Ami must be glad about going to the Mermalair. They'd be able to study the Mermalair's technology, technology that likely didn't exist in Japan.

"First, I suggest that we find out what this underground lab in Goo Lagoon is about," Ami said. "If that's okay with everyone else."

"That's right," Minako said, serious once more. Her moods changed so swiftly. She was goofy when she had the luxury and serious when needed. Good traits that a leader needed, to break up tension. "I think that half of us should stay in the neighborhood and search for the rest of the Dead Moon Circus while the other half of us go back to Goo Lagoon and take care of this lab. We don't know what happened to the fish-bots, but there's a big chance that the fish are still down there, so we should save them. Since Mako-chan, Sandy, and I are more familiar with the lab, we should be part of the team that goes down there."

"I'm curious about this lab," Setsuna said. "I would love to go there myself."

"I would, too," Ami said.

"My attacks feel powerful," Michiru said. "I want to try them out. If the lab needs to be destroyed, then I can take care of it in one fell swoop." She looked to the oak tree. "Our most powerful Guardian doesn't seem able to concentrate on much of anything right now."

Mamoru didn't turn his head. "I'll stay here with Usa."

"Then that leaves myself, Rei, Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, Patrick, and SpongeBob to find the Dead Moon Circus." Haruka turned to SpongeBob and Patrick. "Are you sure you want to come with us? It didn't look like it when Usagi and Chibi-Usa blasted them away, but the Dead Moon Circus is more powerful than they appear."

Patrick's eyes sparkled. "I wanna go to the circus."

SpongeBob bobbed his head up and down. "I wanna go, too."

"You're not taking this nearly as seriously as you should be," Haruka said.

"They're much more competent than they seem, Haruka-san," Rei said. "I promise. The Dead Moon Circus might have trouble in Bikini Bottom. This place is…something to get used to, to say the least."

Haruka shrugged. "I guess it's fine. As soon as they get in our way, though…" She wasn't sure what she'd do, but she'd do something. Immobilize them somehow.

"We have our teams," Minako said. "Let's meet up here once we're finished and then head on over to Rock Bottom, the Mermalair, and Sand Mountain."

Haruka glanced at Setsuna and Michiru. They were so serious, lips pressed into frowns. And Rei was visibly dreading going anywhere with Patrick and Minako, stepping away from the starfish and Guardian of Love, looking exhausted from merely being in their presence.

But Haruka was gonna have her fun. She was looking forward to it all.


	24. The Theater of War

**Chapter Twenty-four: The Theater of War**

VesVes had had no idea that she could dream until she had gotten smashed by that blinding, rainbow, glass shard-filled light.

Perhaps she had dreamed because that light had sliced her so badly that the only way she could cope was by retreating into her head, fantasizing about taming every beast of the land and sea and taking over the world, becoming the one to command her sisters instead of the cautious CereCere.

But after her first dream, VesVes dreamed about protecting and working alongside the beasts instead of commanding them. Strange. VesVes didn't want to protect anyone but her sisters, the Amazon Trio, and Queen Nehellenia.

Lo and behold, a sliver of good and selflessness was stashed in VesVes. Maybe.

Did the anthropomorphic fish, including Plankton, qualify as beasts? If so, then VesVes could bend their will so that they desired only to fulfill VesVes' commands.

Her eyes fluttered open. Two fish crouched behind a bush—hiding? Even though they seemed to be more like humans than beasts, VesVes could tame them. They spoke in plain, understandable language.

"Last night," one was saying, "I dreamed about these robots. And I dreamed that I ate one. It tasted like metal."

"I'm surprised it didn't taste like chicken," the other said.

VesVes smirked. So these fish dreamed, too. In addition to transforming the Guardians' dreams into nightmares, Dead Moon could expand its reign to encompass the ocean. With the power from the nightmares of the land and ocean, Dead Moon would be unstoppable.

VesVes jumped onto her feet. Time to tame these fish. It didn't seem like Sailors Moon and Chibi-Moon's combined attack had drained much energy.

She wobbled and fell to her knee. Damn Sailors Moon and Chibi-Moon's light shows being more powerful than they should be. A rainbow being painful? Really?

VesVes would still try to tame the fish. She reached for her whip at her hip.

CereCere grabbed VesVes' wrist, stopping her.

"The hell you doing?" VesVes hissed.

"Stopping you from doing something stupid," CereCere said. "You're the second-to-last one to wake up, behind that puny green wiener, and we need to regroup before we do anything."

VesVes looked around for the first time since coming to wherever they were. Sand stretched for miles on end, and the sky was a cerulean field teeming with flower-like clouds. Although the clouds were plentiful, the sun shone, making the flowers look as though they were blossoming and soaking up the sunrays.

Something about the sky seemed familiar to VesVes. Must be reminding her of her time on land. Not that she missed the surface. She had been underwater for too short a time. In their brief time in the treedome, some of the first living beings they had seen were the too alive Guardians.

Those Guardians should've been dead. _Every single one_ of them should've been dead.

But they lived.

Why?

VesVes didn't study or read or waste her time filling her head with useless knowledge, but even she knew that the pressure from the ocean floor and the lack of oxygen should kill them.

Hell, why were her sisters, Hawk's Eye, and Tiger's Eye alive? Sure, they weren't quite human, but their survival didn't make sense.

PallaPalla balanced headfirst on a nearby boulder. "I wish this boulder could roll." As carefree as ever.

JunJun frowned. Either wishing she had a trapeze to swing on or a branch to jump on or scoping out this world. It wasn't like the land, where there was plenty to play with. Compared to the surface, with the forests and the trapezes and the variety of beasts, the underwater world seemed bare. There weren't many fish or other living things around, either, with those two fish the sole souls who VesVes had seen since arriving, other than the two Guardian-aligned fish, the squirrel (what in the hell?), and Plankton.

Plankton lay on his back, eye open but blank. Looked near-death, but he rose and fell steadily, gurgled and coughed occasionally. How had that little thing survived through the train of light? Were these beasts made of titanium?

VesVes snatched her wrist away from CereCere and then crossed her arms. "There, I'm not doing anything. Satisfied?"

"For now."

Fisheye's eyes were bright, looking to be the most fascinated and at home out of all of them. He'd originally been a fish, so he was accustomed to the underwater world. He might not want to return to the surface, but he was under the Amazoness Quartet's command, so if they ordered Fisheye to return to the land, then he had no choice but to go.

Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye looked the most uncomfortable, Hawk's Eye scrunching his face and muttering, "Dirty saltwater all over me." He shuddered. "Ick."

Tiger's Eye nodded. "This water does not agree with me. I'm a tiger—well, used to be a tiger. Tigers and water don't mix."

"Neither do hawks and water."

JunJun fisted her hips. "Quit complaining. We're here now, so we might as well make the most of it. Besides, we should be thankful that those Guardians' attacks didn't kill us."

"I think this environment is better for stealing others' dreams," CereCere said. "There's no way the Guardians are that powerful down here. The only reason they blasted us away is because we weren't expecting them."

VesVes snorted. "Didn't feel like they were any weaker to me."

"Anyhow, being underwater, they won't be able to move or breathe as well. If, and when, we run into them again, we'll definitely defeat them." She looked up, at the clear blue ocean with its flower-shaped clouds. VesVes looked up, too. No Guardians were above. They could wreck all the havoc they wanted on land, without consequence.

Since the Guardians overpowered the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio, maybe it'd be better if they returned to the surface, where the Guardians couldn't reach them.

CereCere reached into her pocket, pulling out the remains of her Amazon Stone. "Compliments of those Guardians." She opened her hand, the fragments raining back into her pocket. "It'll repair itself eventually. Until then, we can't use Opening Ball. So let's try flying back to Japan."

VesVes' eyebrows shot up. She rubbed her hands, a grin snaking onto her face. She'd command all the beasts, and they'd help her fill the world with nightmares.

"Wait." Plankton's eye rolled forward, filling with life. He jumped onto his feet, his eye focusing on the Quartet and Trio. "Please don't kill me. I just wanted an army of my own. Everybody else has an army but me. And I need an army to save Karen." He reached toward the Dead Moon Circus. "Therefore, I command you to stay." His voice shook, like he was nervous about asking the Dead Moon Circus to do anything. As well he should be. He was not their master, no matter how smart or inflated his ego.

She shrugged. "Too bad. We've already decided. Right, everyone?"

" _You_ decided, not us." VesVes rolled her eyes. "Again. You always decide everything for us." She huffed.

"I'm the oldest and most mature. It's logical that I make all the decisions." She flipped her hair. "The older you get, the more mature you become."

JunJun coughed, pointed to PallaPalla, the second oldest sister balancing on the balls of her feet, counting the petals on a flower above, saying, "He loves me, he loves me not."

"W-well, there are always exceptions." CereCere leaned close to VesVes, the beast tamer not backing down but scowling. "If you think telling everyone what to do is so easy, then you try it sometime."

"Your breath stinks," VesVes shot back.

CereCere raised her eyebrow. "That's your best comeback?"

"I mean, yeah, I'll boss everyone around, no problem. Just give me a chance."

CereCere regarded VesVes. "Unlike me, you're far from logical. You're too impulsive with little fighting skill to back it up, as you showed against the Guardians. You'd burn everything down if you led. How about never?"

A vein popped out from VesVes' forehead. "You arrogant bitch," she ground out. Her words came out in a tidal wave. "You fought just as bad as I did. What the hell were you doing? Letting your mouth hang open like an idiot and yelling at us instead of doing a freaking thing. You fu—"

"All you're doing is proving how immature you are."

VesVes seethed. Oh, how she wanted to claw her loving, sweet, mature sister to shreds.

"Anyway, who wants to test going up first?"

"I'll do it," Hawk's Eye said. "I was created from a hawk, so it follows that I would be able to fly, yes?" He jumped, flapping his hands like a child who pretended to fly. He landed. Jumped once more, flapping his hands, sweat breaking out on his forehead. Should VesVes say something to end his embarrassment or let him keep trying to fly for her own entertainment?

Chuckles from JunJun and CereCere, PallaPalla gaping, Plankton shaking from fear.

"I don't think you can fly like that," Tiger's Eye said.

"Quiet, you." Hawk's Eye looked between his hands. "That's right, I can turn back into a hawk." He morphed, his form shrinking, brown wings enveloping his arms feather by feather, fur covering his torso, his hair retracting into his head, a beak replacing his lips. He was a hawk once more.

He flew up in a corkscrew shape, relishing taking to the air. He crumpled into an invisible barrier and then plummeted onto the sand. He morphed back into a human, laying facedown.

The Dead Moon Circus and Plankton stared at the unmoving Hawk's Eye.

After a time, PallaPalla said, "Is he dead?"

"No, I'm not dead," Hawk's Eye said, voice muffled by the sand.

"Why was a barrier up there?" JunJun said.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

Zirconia's scratchy voice entered their heads. "This undersea world you have landed in will be a great opportunity for not only defeating the Guardians, but also stealing dreams and finding the Golden Crystal. I do not want you leaving until you search every inch for the Crystal and defeat the Guardians."

Zirconia, the annoying old hag, still bossing them around from wherever she was hiding instead of coming here like a man. Or at least the crippled old woman she was.

The fish behind the bush stared. Had been watching the whole time.

"What just happened?" one said.

VesVes reached toward her whip as slowly and inconspicuously as possible. She unhooked her whip and slapped it upon the sand, sand exploding in a plume. The two fish froze, the lights in their eyes dulling.

They were VesVes' fish to rule.

To the untrained tamer, the fish seemed like they had nothing to offer. But VesVes knew of their potential. Even a snail had potential as long as it had the right tamer.

A grin split VesVes' face, showing her fangs. Plankton took a step back, having been spared from being tamed since VesVes hadn't slapped her whip toward him.

Figuring out what she was going to do with these fish would be fun.

CereCere, the logical fun-sucker, said, "VesVes, let them go. There'll be plenty of other fish you can tame. Planning our next move is more important."

PallaPalla tumbled off the boulder and bounced upright. "Yay, planning."

"Tch." VesVes slapped her whip once more, and the light returned to the fish's eyes. They looked around, cocking their heads.

"I feel like I was in my happy place," one said.

Tamed beasts were willing to do anything VesVes demanded because of the ecstasy and safety being under her command provided them. She was protective of all her beasts. Having them under her command was like a contract. She would keep them safe and take them to their "happy place" in exchange for them obeying her every whim. A fair trade.

"Happy places," as these fish liked to call them, depended on the individual beast. Hawk's Eye's "happy place" might be the sky while Tiger's Eye's "happy place" might be the jungle.

"So, what should we be brainstorming about?" VesVes said.

"Isn't it obvious?" JunJun said. "Where we go next."

PallaPalla raised a hand. "PallaPalla says we go to the happy place first."

"We can go to the happy place later," CereCere said. "First, we have to get our bearings."

VesVes jabbed a finger at the cowering Plankton in front of Fisheye. "Hey, you."

Plankton jumped. "Yes, ma'am?"

"You're gonna be our guide. Show us where we're going." Didn't need her whip to tame Plankton.

Plankton peered up at them, lip quivering. "Okay. As long as you take me back to Karen."

Even with the position he was in, he was bold enough to ask for what he wanted. Impressive. VesVes didn't like her beasts to be spineless. Perhaps Plankton would be more useful than she thought.

CereCere softened her eyes. A rare display of compassion from her. Or a fake one. "Of course we will." Oftentimes, enemies had no problem lying to your face.

A smile lit Plankton. "Thanks. Well, what're we waiting for?" He straightened, confident once more. "Let's get going." He marched forward. Let him think he was the master for now. Everything would play out in due time.

* * *

Setsuna, Ami, Michiru, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Sandy walked through Bikini Bottom, toward a beach called Goo Lagoon.

Setsuna didn't know what to think of Bikini Bottom, surely named because it was below the Bikini Atoll, a group of islands in the north Pacific Ocean.

When the nuclear testing had occurred during World War II, how had Bikini Bottom's citizens reacted? Perhaps Bikini Bottom was created out of the nuclear tests—the radiation had transformed ordinary fish into humanoid creatures.

Setsuna was letting her imagination rule her instead of logic. Perhaps the simplest explanation of Bikini Bottom was that it had always been beneath the Bikini Atoll, and the fish were regular fish to normal-sized humans but, because the group had shrunk, these fish seemed humanlike. Perhaps the fish here walked on two legs because they lived at the bottom of the ocean and, thus, had evolved over millions of years to grow legs and walk instead of swim. Perhaps these fish always spoke in an understandable language. Were the fish speaking Japanese, or had the language barrier been shattered when Usagi and the other Guardians had crashed here?

Some might say that Setsuna was overanalyzing Bikini Bottom, but overanalyzing things was part of her nature. She enjoyed thinking about the how and why behind things. Kept her occupied and focused and came in handy when fighting. Setsuna could break down and attack an opponent by his weaknesses.

She was having a hard time breaking down Bikini Bottom, though. How on earth had Ami wrapped her brain around this place?

Right now, it didn't seem like Ami was trying to wrap her brain around anything but Setsuna.

Ami had stayed near Setsuna since the Guardian of Space and Time arrived. Ami was trying to be secretive, but Setsuna caught the corner-eye gazes, the keen listening and hanging on to every word that Setsuna spoke, the attentiveness to Setsuna that Ami didn't give the other Guardians, even their leader, Minako.

Setsuna felt like Ami's leader, the object of her affection. She was glad that she was a role model. Ami and Setsuna had similar hobbies. They craved knowledge, understanding how and why things worked or didn't work.

Ami and Setsuna shared a thirst for understanding and appreciating Bikini Bottom.

As the seven walked, Setsuna stepped near Ami, who started, could barely look Setsuna in the eye. Ami didn't have trouble watching Setsuna when Setsuna wasn't directly addressing her.

"Ami," Setsuna said, "you've been down here longer than I have, so perhaps you understand more than I do. Actually, I'm confident that you do."

Ami darted her eyes, looking everywhere but at Setsuna. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think so. I haven't been able to figure out why Bikini Bottom is…like this at all. There's no explanation. Things are the way they are, no rhyme or reason to it."

Setsuna tapped her chin. "Interesting. Are you sure there isn't any explanation?"

"As far as I know. I've scrutinized Bikini Bottom since I got here, and I haven't been able to figure anything out. Fish explode when they fall, boxes teleport things across wide distances, fish talk and we can understand them, fish can double-jump, bubbles are used as weapons, there's a talking bubble that SpongeBob created who offered to help me develop my own powers… Need I go on?"

"I believe I understand as much as I will for now." Since Ami had started talking, getting into her zone about things she was interested in, she'd become less nervous around Setsuna, not trying to impress her but trying to collaborate with her to grasp the intricacies of Bikini Bottom.

Ami's brow creased. "We met a human down here and, according to SpongeBob, there's another one, too."

Setsuna pursed her lips. "I see. What was he like?"

Ami blinked. Surprised that Setsuna was keeping calm? It was a scientist's job to stay calm no matter the situation. If the Outer Guardians shared any traits, it was that they never lost their calmness (except Michiru in rare, harmless circumstances, like when students fell asleep during her violin lessons). "He called himself Mermaid Man. I don't think that's his real name because he said he lived on land until he and his partner, Barnacle Boy, were infused with powers from mermaids during a drowning accident and gained the ability to survive underwater without a deep sea dive suit. They also have several other powers. I was able to see only one, which happened after Mermaid Man became…emphatic when he heard the word 'evil.' He destroyed robots with a ball made from water." She tapped her chin. "Then he rambled about not putting tapioca inside something called Wumbo and tapioca being the key to opening the ninth dimension. According to SpongeBob and Usagi-chan, the giant monkey man lives there."

Setsuna let a small smile lighten her. Even if Bikini Bottom made no sense, she couldn't deny that it was amusing. "I hope we never meet this giant monkey man."

Ami smiled, too. The other Guardians took themselves too seriously sometimes, and it was nice to see Ami smile. "We'd better stay far away from tapioca then."

"Here we are." Minako walked in front of the group, Sandy and Makoto at her sides but Minako slightly farther out than the two. Since she had received her upgrade, she seemed to be taking her leadership duties more seriously. "Goo Lagoon. Mako-chan, Sandy, and I couldn't clear the robots out of here for obvious reasons. Like Sandy being captured, which took priority."

Sandy waved her hand-like paw. "Aw, shucks, y'all are gonna make me blush."

Setsuna was glad that Minako and Makoto had saved Sandy, but what about the other fish in Goo Lagoon? What if they'd been taken to the lab because Makoto and Minako weren't able to destroy the robots?

"Clearing out" the robots wasn't truly clearing them out. More could always fill the area, cause chaos once more.

Setsuna didn't voice her thoughts. The Guardians of the Inner Deities sometimes complained that the Outer Guardians were too tough, negative, ruthless, and this was not the time to dredge up old wounds, even though the Sailor Team had grown closer since defeating the Death Busters and unraveling the Sailor Saturn misunderstanding.

In a place like Bikini Bottom, the Sailor Team had to work together more closely than ever, especially with the Dead Moon Circus roaming about.

Makoto scratched her head. "Mina-chan and I did try to keep going after Sandy was captured, but…it didn't quite work out."

"I lost my powers at the most inconvenient time," Minako said. "And then gained them after we defeated the Sandy robot. Thanks to Artemis, I'm back and better than ever." She stuck out her tongue. After being powerless for so long, of course Minako was basking in her newfound power. Setsuna had felt the same way after she had regained her powers and become more powerful to boot.

"Be careful that you don't overextend yourself," Setsuna said. "That goes to all of us. There are seven of us here, so we can pick up the slack for one another instead of one of us trying to bear everyone's burden."

"Sounds good to me," Makoto said.

"Yes, I agree," Ami said, a faint glow surrounding her, thanks to being underwater and the nearby powered-up Sailor Neptune. "There's a lot of running, jumping, and flying to be done, so we have to conserve our energy."

"It's tempting to unleash all my powers at once." Michiru hadn't stopped glowing since she had awakened. Being Super Sailor Neptune multiplied her power. "I'll stay in check, though."

"You said that you would be able to destroy the lab with one of your attacks earlier, Michiru-san," Rei said, "but don't be afraid to let the rest of us help by combining our powers. Mamoru-san, Chibi-Usa-chan, Patrick, and I combined our powers in Downtown Bikini Bottom to great success. And we didn't have to use much of our powers, either. Only a little was enough. When we tried to attack all-out individually, we didn't have the same type of success." Rei had also stayed near Michiru, showing that Michiru had an admirer, too. Even though their attacks were the polar opposite of each other, Rei thought that she could relate to Michiru.

Makoto had kept a close eye on Michiru, too. Michiru had two admirers. Three, counting Haruka.

Goo Lagoon stretched before them, resembling a beach on land. According to Sandy, the water that the "sea" in the lagoon consisted of was called goo. Sandy didn't quite understand what goo was made of. When she got a chance, Setsuna would take a sample of the goo and analyze it at her leisure.

The Lagoon was nearly abandoned. Setsuna had never seen an uncrowded beach. No robots wandered about, either. Had beachgoers left because of the robots?

"Even Larry ain't here," Sandy said. "Wonder where he went."

"Maybe he's keeping an eye on his place in Downtown Bikini Bottom," Rei said.

Minako stepped forward, toward an area where the sand seemed to be stuck in place, as though it had been moving like quicksand at one point. "Here's the scene of the crime." A pint-sized hole remained in the middle of the area, not big enough for a fish to fall in.

"I'm assuming that that's where the lab is," Setsuna said.

"Right," Makoto said. "We had quite an adventure down there."

Sandy shook her head. "Heck, I can't remember what happened. All's I remember is the robots knockin' me clean out." She beamed at Minako. "Next time I woke up, I was in Mina's arms."

Minako's expression melted a bit. "Yeah. Well."

What Minako had done was impressive, as the Guardians and Sandy had told the story. Minako had stayed silent through it all, but the gist of it was that Minako had defied a god, jumped inside a robot that could've exploded at any time, almost been killed by its defense mechanism, and saved Sandy, all without her powers. Makoto had said that Minako's defiance and determination had spurred the rest of the Guardians, even the conservative Mamoru, into action. A furious King Neptune hadn't punished them but rewarded them instead. What a mysterious god.

"He seems to have a soft spot for SpongeBob, too," Ami said. "Or else he wouldn't have summoned us to his Poseidome in the supposedly lost city of Atlantis."

Setsuna's eyebrows shot up. "Lost no more, apparently."

Unfortunately, Ami and the rest of the Guardians hadn't been able to explore Atlantis. King Neptune had whisked them back to Bikini Bottom.

"Is King Neptune related to Sailor Neptune?" Michiru said.

"I haven't heard anything about that," Setsuna said. "King Neptune shouldn't exist. Then again, neither should Atlantis. As far as I've read, they're both myths, like mermaids are supposed to be."

Michiru looked at the palms of her hands. "I wonder if a connection to King Neptune is another reason why the ocean is filling me with power."

Could be. It would be something to investigate if they discovered King Neptune. Perhaps the god would summon them if he found out that someone else could control the ocean.

"I'll do the honors." Minako ran to the hole, blasted it open with a heart. The sand cascaded down once more, sunrays slowing the sand. "Let's go."

" _Together,_ Mina-chan." Makoto slid beside her friend.

"Of course. I wasn't going to leave you all behind."

"Or let us leave you behind on purpose."

"Of course, of course."

The Guardians jumped down, Makoto carrying Sandy. The area darkened.

"When we were down here before," Makoto said, "there was a noise that sounded like it was coming from a machine. I don't hear it anymore."

"Maybe they closed up shop," Minako said.

"It would make sense for them to move once you discovered their hideout." If Setsuna were a robot, she'd move.

"The robots don't have common sense, though. I'm hoping that they lacked common sense in this situation, too."

The seven flew through a cave, around fallen stalactites ("That's Mako-chan's fault," Minako had declared, Makoto saying, "Because those robots created a situation that deemed it necessary for the stalactites to be broken" and Rei had replied, "When did you start reading the dictionary, Mako-chan?") to an opening that led to more goo, like the beach above. They dove into the goo, Minako commenting how much better it felt to swim without her suit, down to an opening, where a steel wall blocked their way.

"That's why I'm here." Michiru's glow permeated the darkness. "I can feel the ocean rocking the core of my being."

"Whoa," Minako said. "When people start saying stuff like that, you know something big is about to happen."

Michiru smiled lopsidedly, something she never did. Being in the ocean must be changing her personality. "You all might want to step back."

The Guardians and Sandy did so, staying several yards behind her.

Sailor Neptune thrust out her hand. The cave began to shake, debris sleeting from the ceiling.

Sandy shielded her helmet with her arms. "B-be careful. You might make this whole cave fall down."

"I won't. I command the sea. Unless I will it, the cave won't collapse."

Roaring came from behind Setsuna. The combined goo and the sea rushed toward Sailor Neptune, toward the Guardians and Sandy. It reared upward, like a tsunami.

"None of you move," Michiru said, her power making her normally soft voice reverberate, strnoger. Setsuna stayed as still as possible, the other Guardians and Sandy crowding near one another. The wave swerved around them. "Deep Submerge!" The wave split around Michiru and slammed into the steel wall, the wall bending and then breaking. The wave continued, breaking through the wall behind the first, continued to break through a line of walls. Quite a defense system.

Booming sounds echoed. Even if robots were in the lab, the collapsing walls would've destroyed them. Hopefully, the fish in the vats were spared.

Smoke filled the area. Michiru's hair flowed upward, her glow brightening, her hand extended, concentration enveloping her face. The smoke clearing, Sailor Neptune swept the ocean into her hands, revealing the lab expanding before the seven, crumbs of the walls littering the floor. The vats remained at the sides of the lab.

But the vats were empty.

Minako balled her hands. "Damn. We were too late."

"They must've taken the fish to another area," Ami said.

"Those pests have more common sense than we thought," Sandy said.

The seven searched the lab. No traces of the robots remained, like the robots had never stepped foot inside the lab. They examined the area in which Sandy and the fish had been experimented on. A wide, blue machine towered from ground to ceiling, resembling the Duplicatotron 1000s. Switches on the large machine were labelled "Fish 2 Bot" and "Anything 2 Bot." On top of the machine, a label was slapped on, a child's handwriting reading, "Bot Maker 5000."

"I wonder what happened to versions 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000," Ami said.

"I hope they were stupid enough to destroy them," Rei said. "We can't have any other robots being created, especially out of more fish."

"What happened to the rest o' the fish that were created by the earlier versions?" Sandy said.

"We don't know if there are earlier versions," Setsuna said. "I wouldn't jump to conclusions and worry yet."

Sandy, Ami, and Setsuna studied the machine, Rei staying the farthest away, saying, "Technology isn't my thing." The Bot Maker 5000—BM5000 for short, as Minako started calling it, mumbling that it reminded her of a huge bowel movement (Setsuna pretended not to hear her crudity)—was pimpled with switches, a funnel protruding from its side and its top, resembling the D1000s. The BM5000 seemed somewhat complex. Had to be, to make robots out of fish and squirrels.

"Why did Sandy need to be inside the robot for it to work?" Setsuna said.

"Maybe the robot versions can only be controlled from a certain distance," Ami said. "For example, when Mina-chan, Mako-chan, and Sandy fought against the robots when they first came here, the fish floated in the vats, a short distance away from the fish-bots. But in the Poseidome, there were no vats around. Maybe the robots are moving toward having all the fish trapped inside the fish-bots."

"I think you might be on to something, Ami."

Ami brightened. Couldn't hide her pleasure at Setsuna's compliment.

The seven returned to the main area of the lab, where the vats stood.

"I didn't expect them to clean up after themselves so thoroughly," Rei said. "They leave the rest of Bikini Bottom in chaos but manage to clear everything up in this lab. They didn't leave a speck of their remains."

"These robots are smarter than they seem," Ami said.

Setsuna cupped her chin. "They must've moved the fish, too. So we'll have to find wherever the robots took them to, to save them."

"More adventuring," Minako said. "But they might be so stupid that they just relocated their lab to another part of Goo Lagoon." She clenched her hand. "I say we go look for them."

"Agreed." Setsuna wanted to study these robots' fighting techniques and explore the rest of Goo Lagoon. Her heart skipped. She hadn't been this excited in a while. Who knew that being in Bikini Bottom would be exciting?

Perhaps shewasexcited precisely because she was in Bikini Bottom. Guarding the Space-Time Door, being in the same environment, seeing the same surroundings day after day after day for years upon years upon years grew boring. The underwater city was like a whole other universe that Setsuna would gain as much knowledge about as possible.

From the look on Ami's face, the Guardian of Water was also excited, ready to delve into more of Bikini Bottom's nuances.

The world was bigger than Setsuna had believed. As the Guardian of Space and Time, she'd thought she had seen it all.

She was wrong.


	25. Playtime in War

**Chapter Twenty-five: Playtime in War**

What had Plankton gotten himself into?

At least he had his own army. An army that could end him anytime, but an army nonetheless. Maybe, being the genius that he was, he could command these humanoids.

Based on the way the girl with the whip had controlled those two fish, probably not. Who was to say that the whip girl wouldn't do the same thing to Plankton? Unless she recognized that, with his genius, he was impossible to control.

Plankton rubbed his hands, chuckling. Of course he couldn't be controlled by a mere whip.

A blue head swept down from above, in Plankton's face. Plankton hollered, nearly bolted backward.

"Are you in your happy place now?"

His army members hadn't introduced themselves to Plankton, but he could guess their names. The one who had pushed her head into his face was named PallaPalla. The whip girl was VesVes. The young woman who did most of the talking and seemed to have sense, was able to be reasoned with, was called CereCere. JunJun had green hair, barely wore green clothes (all of the girls were barely dressed). Fisheye, whom Plankton felt the closest with and safest near. There were Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye, the two scariest-looking humans that Plankton had seen, both towering yards taller than Plankton, Tiger's Eye with his growling voice, wild hair, clawlike nails. Hawk's Eye's nails resembled talons, and his voice was airy, like it was soaring.

"As happy as I'll ever be," Plankton said, deadness in his voice. He had lost his chance at stealing the secret formula, had lost control of his own robots, had lost his brief control of these humanoids, had lost his dignity. And he was away from Karen. Normally, Plankton wouldn't feel like he was missing much by being away from his computer W.I.F.E. She teased him, mocked him, and had made him feel foolish in front of his hillbilly family. But the thought of any robot stealing her heart… She was the only one cheering for him in the cruelty, the idiocy of Bikini Bottom. Surrounded by these humanoids, Plankton was lonely. He knew all too well how being alone and ignored in a crowd felt.

Nevertheless, he led this group of humanoids toward…where?

They hadn't discussed before. So Plankton kept walking in the desolate area of Bikini Bottom, where he and the Dead Moon Circus had been blown into.

"Where are we going?" JunJun said.

"Guiding you around, like you asked."

"Doesn't look like you know what you're doing."

"Neither do any of you," Plankton shot back, not caring about his vulnerability, about JunJun's darkening expression. Might as well lose whatever else these cretons thought they could take from him. Thankfully, a place popped in his mind before JunJun could eat him or dispose of him however tightrope walkers disposed of their enemies. "Since I am a genius, I know what place would be most beneficial to you. I'll take you to Rock Bottom. I have a few…toys we can use to vaporize SpongeBob's army."

CereCere's eyes brightened, seeming to forget his outburst. "You have weapons of your own?"

VesVes snorted. "Unlike these robots, I hope your weapons obey you."

"I hope you're smart enough to know how to use them," JunJun said.

Plankton didn't let their insults pierce him. He'd been insulted many a time before. He may look insignificant and go unnoticed by the majority of Bikini Bottom, but his genius could not be overlooked.

He wouldn't let his army stand in his way, no matter how much they tried to intimidate him. Besides, they needed him more than he needed them. Well, not necessarily, but he wouldn't let them know that.

He needed to get to know them more.

Observing and talking to them about the weather, their hobbies, mundane things that he had to pretend that he gave a rat's behind about would be best. Plankton was a great people person. He had to build a W.I.F.E. only because everyone else brushed him off due to his small stature.

As Plankton led them toward Rock Bottom, he said, "So, what do you all like to do for…what's that word?" He put a finger to his chin. SpongeBob had sung a whole song about it that Plankton hadn't been able to get out of his head for six months. Now he couldn't remember. Perhaps he couldn't recall the word because, frustrated at not being able to purge his head of SpongeBob's blasted song, he had created a memory wiping device and erased the song from his brain. For good measure, he had washed soap between his ears, where his brain was.

"Our happy place?" PallaPalla bounced in front of Plankton. At least she seemed harmless.

"Sure," Plankton said. It was a start. "Where is it?"

"Mine is with my sisters." PallaPalla slung her arms around JunJun and CereCere. "We've always been together." Smiles flitted across JunJun's and CereCere's faces. VesVes stepped closer to PallaPalla, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. A tight bond. Some would say that their bond would be a disadvantage to Plankton—he would be the first to go in a life-or-death situation—but their relationship was an asset. They would fight more effectively, quickly escort Plankton to the Chum Bucket.

"Aside from your sisters, where else?" Plankton said.

Tiger's Eye looked to the sky. "I miss the jungle."

"Have I got the place for you." Plankton stepped to Tiger's Eye, dared to nudge him with his elbow. A growl rumbled from Tiger's Eye's throat. Plankton stepped several yards away. "Or maybe not."

Tiger's Eye poked his head in Plankton's face, as aggressive as VesVes. "Now I want to know, you piece of sausage."

VesVes' eyes bulged, and the beast tamer burst into laughter. That insult hurt.

Plankton looked over himself. "Am I really shaped like sausage?" Took down his self-perception, but not that much. He was Plankton, who had the highest I.Q. in Bikini Bottom.

"You look as edible as sausage." Hawk's Eye ran a finger across his lips.

Plankton resisted the urge to shiver. Had to appear confident. "Ah, but if you ate me, you wouldn't be able to get to where you needed to be. Besides, my weapons can make you superior over SpongeBob's army." He puffed out his chest. Surely, he didn't look like sausage anymore. "And your happy place, Tiger's Eye, would be in Kelp Forest. But that's a distance away. I'd rather us go to Rock Bottom first, where my weapons are."

"I have a better idea," CereCere said. "Let's split up. I doubt those Guardians are going to stay all together. Besides, we can cover more ground and find the Golden Crystal faster."

Plankton cleared his throat. "I also have a request."

JunJun's eyebrow shot up. "You're in no position to request anything from us."

"Actually, I am. Because I'm diabolical. And a genius. And I'm the only one who can get these robots to fall back under my command. See, if you vaporize me and then pull the switch on my Duplicatotron to 'Obey,' the robots will still run rampant because they won't have anyone to obey. I could command the robots to destroy the Guardians, and they'll do it, without fail. So it's in your best interest that you keep me alive.

"I have no fear of you, so my request is that, on our way to the Chum Bucket, we stop by the Krusty Krab and steal the krabby patty secret formula. In return, once we reach the Chum Bucket, I'll turn my whole robot army against SpongeBob's army and have them help find your Crystal. But if this Crystal has special powers, I want in."

The Dead Moon Circus exchanged looks.

"That's a good deal," CereCere said. "Besides, the Guardians overpowered us twice, so it'll be better if we have the robots on our side. We accept. In the meantime, we split up. Where are those Guardians likely to go?"

"Wherever the robots are," Plankton said. "So anywhere, pretty much. But the three biggest areas are Rock Bottom, where my precious lasers are and where I must go to check on them; the Mermalair, which those two old superheroes think no one knows about but everyone knows about and is full of machines; and Sand Mountain, where people do a lot of skiing and sandboarding. Sports aren't my forte, so I'd rather not go there, but I'd be glad to point you toward it and the Mermalair."

"Plankton, I'll go with you to Rock Bottom," VesVes said. "Sounds full of creatures ready to come under my whip."

"Sports sound fun," PallaPalla said. "I'll head to Sand Mountain."

"Same," JunJun said. "Right up my alley."

"Then I'll go to the Mermalair." CereCere shrugged. "Whatever that's supposed to be."

"The bottom of anything doesn't bode well for me." Hawk's Eye's expression grew distant. "On the other hand, a tall mountain…"

"I'd like to go to the Mermalair," Fisheye said. "I'm not a big fan of machines, but I'm also not a fan of anyone building machines in the ocean, where they don't belong. I've love to destroy the Mermalair and restore that area to its natural glory."

"I don't want to leave my master alone with only a hotdog-shaped creature to protect her," Tiger's Eye said, "so I'll go with you there, VesVes."

Plankton laughed, throwing back his head and spreading his arms. "My very own army, smart enough to sort themselves out and to insult me. Wonderful. Soon I shall be invincible." His laugh turned into a cackle. VesVes fisted his head, screwing him into the sand so that only his antennae were visible.

"If you keep doing that, I really might have to kill you."

* * *

Ami was enjoying Goo Lagoon. It helped that being near the goo was amplifying her powers alongside Michiru's. Ami and Michiru ought to try combining their attacks. Ami ruled over water in general, while Michiru commanded bodies of water. Together, they would be unstoppable.

Despite their elements complimenting each other, Ami preferred to be with Setsuna.

Setsuna was striking, full of not only knowledge but also wisdom. There was a big difference between knowledge and wisdom. Ami's cram school classmates were knowledgeable, but they didn't have much wisdom because they didn't have the life experience. Being the Guardian of Space and Time, Setsuna had plenty of wisdom from watching kingdoms rise and fall, the follies of man, things that she normally wouldn't have seen, appearing to be in her early twenties but actually being centuries old.

She was observant from guarding the Space-Time Door. Ami liked to hide in books, but experiencing the world taught her more. Ami had learned more in her short time as a Guardian and from her friends than she had reading books her entire life.

Setsuna seemed like she had everything figured out, no matter how much she proclaimed that she knew nothing about the world and wanted to study it. While aloof, she was polite, perceptive, elegant. Had an air of royalty about her, like she was the princess of the moon instead of Usagi (while Usagi had matured greatly since Ami first met her, one wouldn't look at Usagi and think that Usagi was a princess).

Ami had a hard time reading others sometimes. Her self-esteem was a bit low, so she was afraid of rejecting others' invitations to do things together, what they would think of her. Before she met Usagi, she'd had a reputation of being arrogant. Didn't want to fuel that reputation.

But Usagi, Makoto, and her other friends were unique, teaching her that it was okay to be herself. They were beautiful; Ami would hate if they tried to be other people. Having role models was fine, but trying to be a completely different person was not. Ami loved them for the people they were, never compared them to others or wished they were different, that they would cover up their flaws because their flaws were beautiful, too. They saw Ami the same way.

Setsuna, though, was someone to be admired.

Maybe Ami would never be as wise as Setsuna. Regardless, Setsuna seemed to appreciate Ami's eye. Setsuna and Ami had engaged in conversation about the lab they had seen in Goo Lagoon, bouncing ideas off each other about the technology the robots were using to create fish-bots. Being an inventor, Sandy had joined the conversation.

Setsuna didn't appear surprised when Sandy had told her about building a rocket, creating a blueprint for and then building her treedome and deep sea dive suit, or by anything in Bikini Bottom. Perhaps Setsuna's stoicism was a result of seeing nearly everything when guarding the Space-Time Door. Nevertheless, Setsuna shouldn't have ever seen a place like Bikini Bottom, where physics were defied regularly and no one batted an eye. Physics were Setsuna's specialty, so Setsuna should have been infuriated or at the very least showed curiosity. But she kept smiling. Commendable. Ami had been twisting her face in all sorts of ways when she had first arrived in Bikini Bottom.

The calmness wasn't unique to Setsuna. Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru were not alarmed by Bikini Bottom's tendencies, and they weren't much more experienced than Ami. Hotaru was _less_ experienced than Ami yet digested everything calmly. Whatever the Outer Guardians were doing, Ami needed to start doing it, too.

The seven ran through Goo Lagoon, through another cave (briefly meeting Gary, whom Setsuna and Michiru didn't seem surprised to see, even when noticing his high intelligence), clearing out robots in one fell swoop with a shot of Sailor Neptune's amplified Deep Submerge, grabbing another Golden Spatula from a robot's remnants, and then emerging into the sunlight and onto a pier, where Mr. Krabs stood, gazing at a ticket booth on another pier, sighing. A Ham-mer stood inside the ticket booth, a boy and his mother trying to pay the robot with dollars but the Ham-mer bonking the dollars, nearly taking off the mother's fin, onto the pier.

"How dare he treat perfectly good money with such disrespect?" Mr. Krabs rolled up his sleeve. "I'll go teach that robot a lesson in how to treat money meself."

Bad things had happened when Mr. Krabs tried to fight the robots in Jellyfish Fields. Ami reached for him. "Mr. Krabs, please wait!"

Mr. Krabs was already running. When it came to money, the crab blocked out all outside influences and focused on the money—where it was, what it smelled like, had a nose like a bloodhound.

He jumped across a gap leading to a leaning pier, then to another one and then to the pier where the mother, boy, and Ham-mer stood.

This was not going to end well.

Ami ran toward the incoming fray, her Mercury Goggle etching in front of her eyes, concentrated on Mr. Krabs. "Hyperspatial Sphere Generate!" A bubble expanded from Ami, toward Mr. Krabs. The transparent, bubble-like shield engulfed the crab, who continued to run inside the bubble like he was going anywhere. Technically, Mr. Krabs was in another dimension, but he didn't need to know that.

Could Ami use her sphere to teleport Mr. Krabs to the ninth dimension, where the giant monkey man lived?

Ami shook her head of the thought, concentrated on whisking Mr. Krabs to safety. Her distraction could be fatal for the crab.

Besides, tapioca was the key to unlocking the ninth dimension.

Ami almost slapped herself. The fish's short attention spans were rubbing off on her. Usually, she had no problem focusing for hours on end, but Bikini Bottom threatened to make her attention span as short as a goldfish's.

Ami drew the sphere toward her, Mr. Krabs' eyes widening. "What?" He reached toward the ticket booth. "But me money!"

Mr. Krabs thrust himself, shoulder-first. Plowed through the sphere. From one dimension to another.

Every time Ami had thought she had seen it all in Bikini Bottom, something else proved her wrong.

The sphere popped like a bubble, and Mr. Krabs landed on his feet, didn't miss a step charging toward the ticket booth, pincers out. The crab stepped beside the mother and child, pulled the tent up with his pincer, leaving the robot bare. He snatched the money from the floor.

Shaking the money in his pincers, Mr. Krabs said, "That ain't how you treat money. You treat it gently, like you would a woman."

All thought whistled out of Ami's head. Better not think about what he meant.

The Ham-mer raised its head of ham over Mr. Krabs' head. Sandy's lasso lashed out while Makoto said, "Supreme Thunder!" Sandy lassoed the robot, dunked it into the water below. The lightning struck the pier. Cracks formed where the lightning had hit. The mother screamed, hugging her boy to her, while the boy cheered.

"Why do kids here think danger is fun?" Minako circled her chain around the mother, boy, and Mr. Krabs, knocking them against one another and opening Mr. Krabs' pincer, causing the money Mr. Krabs held to drop through one of the piers' cracks, into the goo.

"No!" Mr. Krabs yelled, agony ripping through his voice like someone had died. "Me money!" He broke into weeping.

Minako drew the three to her, set them upon the pier.

Mr. Krabs' struggled. "Let me go. There's still a chance for me to salvage me money."

Minako tightened the chain's grip. "You know that robot you saw earlier? That's exactly why I'm not letting you go."

Makoto twitched. "Oh, boy. Not again." She'd been partly responsible for creating the quicksand. More destruction from her attacks had to feel awful.

The cracks spread throughout the pier. The world quaked, and across the goo, cracks chipped through another pier. A Ferris wheel collapsed into the goo, a wave drenching the pier, nearly dousing the Guardians and Sandy. Carnival music echoed from the turning Ferris wheel.

A D1000 upon the second pier was unscathed. The machine pumped out Fodders near a separate pier in front of the seven.

Makoto rubbed her head. "Maybe I shouldn't attack anymore. Standing here might be better."

"Don't worry, Mako-chan," Ami said. "I'm sure there's a way we can repair everything."

"Might take a few months to repair all this."

"On the somewhat bright side," Sandy said, "there'll be a lot o' repairin' to do, anyhow. So it's not like this is much more damage." Seemed to catch how she sounded. "Um, well…"

"The sentiment is there."

Mr. Krabs' bottom lip quivered. "Me money, drowned. Dead. A shadow of its former self." He dissolved into fresh weeping. Minako released her chain from the three, likely because of the mother whose ear was near Mr. Krabs' mouth. The mother scrambled away from Mr. Krabs, taking her boy with her.

She waved to the Guardians. "Thanks for saving us." Groaned. "What a day at the carnival this turned out to be. Trying to get away from these darn robots, but they're everywhere." They ran into the sea caves.

Mr. Krabs flopped onto his back, crying.

"I feel strangely responsible for him," Makoto said.

"You shouldn't," Sandy said. "Trust me."

Ami cocked her head. "Should we help him at all?"

"As soon as he sees another dollar or Shiny Object, he'll forget all about the money he thinks he 'lost.'"

The seven kept moving forward. Sandy lassoed the D1000, making it explode.

"There's no helping the explosion," Sandy said, the Ferris wheel turning faster from the explosion, the carnival music emanating from it quickening.

The seven jumped to the second pier, Sandy karate-chopping the Fodders into the goo, where they burst. Without the robots and fish, the pier seemed lifeless.

"I bet fish love to come here whenever robots aren't around," Makoto said.

Michiru's eyes roamed the pier. She still glowed, her powers feeding Sailor Mercury's own, making Sailor Mercury feel more energetic.

The seven landed where the ticket booth had been, ashes piled in its place. The cracks in the pier grew wider like a lion's maw. Gasping, Ami scrambled away from the cracks. The cracks widened until the pier split, the halves tilting in opposite directions. The Guardians took to the air, Minako reaching for Sandy. Despite the lessons she'd learned, Minako felt solely responsible for Sandy being thrown into a robot. But Makoto grabbed Sandy instead, Makoto saying that she was used to carrying folks all the time.

The seven flew to the Ferris wheel, landed.

"It'd probably save more energy if we flew instead of jumped all the time," Michiru said.

Ami panted. "Astonishingly, Michiru-san, running and jumping saves more energy than flying. Usagi-chan and I were tempted to fly all the time in Jellyfish Fields. It didn't quite work out, based on how much energy we spent when we flew for short periods of time."

Setsuna smiled at Ami. "Nice observations."

Ami warmed. Another compliment from Setsuna. Perhaps Ami was closer to Setsuna in terms of skill than she had first thought.

She couldn't get a big head over two words. Had to stay focused. She had leagues to go before she reached Setsuna's caliber.

The seven reached a Whack-a-Tiki game. Looked like a Whack-a-Mole game but was three times bigger than ones in arcade parlors. Perhaps this game was more interactive than the others.

"It's too bad Patrick isn't here," Rei said. "He'd have a field day with this."

Michiru raised an eyebrow. "Do you actually like him, Rei?"

Rei blushed. "Of course. I just, he gets…he's Patrick." No other words could describe him.

Michiru chuckled. "Something I'll understand once we start working with him."

"I guess. I mean, yes."

So Michiru was Rei's role model, judging by how flustered Rei had become. Ami could relate. The Outer Guardians made Ami feel like the most flawed person in the world, as insignificant as a speck of dust. Everyone had flaws _but_ the Outer Guardians.

The Outer Guardians took ruthlessness to a whole other level sometimes, which could be considered a flaw, annihilating first, asking no questions. Haruka and Michiru had wanted to kill a child, Hotaru, to save the world. Usually, no one wanted to kill another person, so sacrificing one girl for the world's welfare was difficult, to say the least.

Michiru smiled lopsidedly. "How about you play the game on his behalf?"

"I'd rather play it together with him." Rei blushed deeper. "Did I say that out loud?"

"You did." Michiru was rubbing everything in today. Like Setsuna, Michiru missed nothing.

Coming to Rei's rescue, Makoto said, "I wonder what you win if you beat the game."

"Probably one of Patrick's socks." Rei reddened more than a tomato. Being close to Michiru was bringing out her nervousness. Michiru's criticisms weren't helping.

"Socks?" Setsuna said.

Saving Rei again, Makoto said, "Patrick lost his socks, and they're scattered around Bikini Bottom. For every ten we find, he'll give us a Golden Spatula."

"These Golden Spatulas seem to be common. I wonder where they came from, or if they're simply sold in stores. They seem to have some value to them."

Setsuna brought up a good point. At first, Ami had thought that border patrol guards blocked certain areas of Bikini Bottom and that Golden Spatulas were payment for passing. Ami had never seen anyone patrolling any area of Bikini Bottom, and no one had ever asked her about Golden Spatulas. Being a fry cook, SpongeBob had an affinity toward Golden Spatulas, and he wanted to collect them for himself.

"Maybe this is all of King Neptune's game," Ami said. "SpongeBob said that the original Golden Spatula came from him. Maybe he wouldn't have appeared to us in the first place without collecting a certain number of Golden Spatulas. But if the original one was King Neptune's, then the Golden Spatulas that we've collected are likely duplicates."

Minako turned up her nose. "Seems like the type of god who would show up only to get on our nerves."

Rei peered at the sky. "If he's a god, can't he always hear us?"

"He probably doesn't care enough to watch us all the time." Minako scoffed. "Which is just as well. He's letting us go through a lot of stuff with these damn robots, but we don't need some selfish god's help to get through Bikini Bottom."

The pier was full of games that any child would like. Bumper Boats, a skee-ball game, the Whack-a-Tiki. Few robots wheeled and flew about. Perhaps most had left because their lab had been destroyed.

Regardless, the seven continued, destroying the occasional robot. Reached the end of the pier where a second box was, near a teeter-totter with a starfish painted on one end. Were starfish the only ones that could use it? The teeter-totter looked like a normal one, but Bikini Bottom's rules might require that only starfish use it or something awful would happen to anyone else who tried to use it.

"Is this the box you were telling me about?" Setsuna said. To Ami.

Ami started. "Uh, yes, yes, it is." Setsuna had only asked her a question. Nothing major. Except Setsuna was turning to Ami for help. Major.

"Transports you…" Setsuna knelt over the box. "It looks bigger on the inside than it does on the outside." She looked toward the first box, which stood near a wailing Mr. Krabs.

"It's taking him a long time to get over those three dollars," Rei said.

"Eh, yes, longer than usual," Sandy said. "Anyhow, let's take care of that there varmint." Pointed to the island, where the robot that Minako, Makoto, and Sandy had seen their first time in Goo Lagoon…was gone.

Makoto deflated. "Well, that's anticlimactic."

"Maybe it went somewhere else in Goo Lagoon," Ami said.

The Guardians flew once more, Makoto carrying Sandy. Empty sunscreen bottles were scattered on the island where the robot had been. The reflector towers had been turned away from the fish, compliments of Larry the Lobster; a note declaring, "Larry was here" had been planted near one of the reflector towers at the beach's entrance.

Minako wiped her hands on her skirt. "Seems like our problem's been solved for us."

"Larry, that dog." Sandy kicked the sand lightly. "Came and went like a hero."

"Thank goodness," Rei and Minako said at the same time. They looked at each other. Everyone looked at them.

Minako gaped and then closed her mouth. "Did he…like you too?"

Rei scowled, crossing her arms. "I hope not, because I certainly didn't like him."

"Good." Minako fake-laughed. "Because I didn't either. A human and a lobster would never mesh." Laughed louder. Trying to drown out her discomfort and her strangely specific denial wasn't working.

Regardless, Ami and her friends could return to Bikini Bottom's residential area with a report of Goo Lagoon being clear. She was ready to learn more with Setsuna and her friends at her side.


	26. The Bottom's Bottom

**Chapter Twenty-six: The Bottom's Bottom**

Mamoru had done a lot of thinking, almost alone in that treedome. First and foremost, he hadn't meant to hurt Usagi. He wanted to keep his coughing blood a secret from her, Chibi-Usa, and everyone else so he wouldn't slow them down. Couldn't show weakness to them or his enemies.

Mamoru wasn't supposed to worry Usagi, but he made things worse when he kept his problems to himself.

He couldn't keep holding everything in and strengthen his relationship with Usagi at the same time. Fate demanded that they be together, but their being together for centuries to come wouldn't be pleasant without trust. Fate didn't say anything about the quality of their relationship, so Usagi and Mamoru had to work on the quality themselves.

Should he go up, in the tree where she ached?

He had said that he wanted to stay to be with Usagi, but he wasn't with her now. Sure, he was in the same…dome as her, but he wasn't near her, caressing her, comforting her. They may as well be strangers. Usagi might think him to be a stranger now. After all, if he hadn't told her about his coughing fits, what else was he hiding from her?

Mamoru couldn't just walk up there and fix everything with a kiss. It would take a while for Usagi and Mamoru to mend their relationship. They still loved each other, but something had gone missing when Mamoru coughed in front of everyone, which was the worst part. He hadn't revealed this problem in front of only Usagi. _Everyone_ had been around when he started coughing. _Everyone_ had seen the cracks fissure their relationship.

The thing was, Mamoru was only keeping his coughing a secret because, not only did he not want to worry Usagi, but he also thought he could solve the coughing himself. Lately, he'd been dreaming about a desolate, gray, dead place called Elysion, about Helios seeking release from his cage there, imploring Mamoru to find the Golden Crystal before their enemies did. He'd thought his dreams to be connected to his coughing; if he could find the Golden Crystal, perhaps the coughing would stop.

Mamoru had asked Helios if he knew of any clues concerning the Golden Crystal's whereabouts, but Helios hadn't been able to help. Perhaps the Golden Crystal could help Helios appear outside of dreams. Regardless, Helios had appeared to and saved Chibi-Usa in Bikini Bottom, of all places, showing that the Pegasus had some power left.

Mamoru was too focused on his past life and his enemies to focus on Usagi sometimes—why his and Usagi's relationship wasn't as strong as it could be.

Never mind his feelings. Needed to go up there and comfort her. Hopefully, she was willing to talk to him.

The treedome's door creaked upon. Mamoru cringed, tried to hide his disappointment from SpongeBob, Patrick, Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, and Haruka entering, SpongeBob and Patrick skipping inside. Maybe the sea creatures' good spirits meant that they had destroyed the Dead Moon Circus or at least found traces of their enemies' whereabouts.

The Guardians didn't seem happier than usual, though.

"How did it go?" Mamoru said, SpongeBob and Patrick holding hands, dancing in a circle.

"We didn't find them," Haruka said. "We went in the direction they flew when Usagi blasted them but didn't see any trace of them. Only two fish said that they had seen them but couldn't remember where they had gone. The fish said that they had gone to their happy place when they had seen one with a whip. Sounds naughtier to us than it probably does to them. When Michiru and I…" She glanced at Chibi-Usa and Hotaru. "We do have children here."

"We have children here in more ways than one." Eyes narrow, Hotaru watched SpongeBob and Patrick jumping in place.

"Why are they so happy?" Mamoru said. Had the Dead Moon Circus' powers whisked them to their happy place, too?

"Some fish watched them fight at the Poseidome and, apparently, the fish didn't trust them before. But now they have faith that they can rescue Bikini Bottom from the robots."

That's right, Hotaru and Haruka hadn't been around when that female fish had declared that the robot issue was SpongeBob's fault. The fish were finally starting to believe in SpongeBob and the humans. Patrick didn't care what other fish thought but was happy because SpongeBob was happy.

"Plus, they're happy because we stopped by Shady Shoals Rest Home and saw Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. I didn't know there were humans down here before we arrived, but SpongeBob explained their origin stories to us." She crossed her arms, drumming her fingers on her elbow. "Quite…interesting. Anyhow, they said that robots had taken over their Mermalair. SpongeBob said that we already decided to go down there and clear out the robots. They said that they hadn't seen the Dead Moon Circus at all."

"Mermaid Man seems confused," Haruka said. "Thank goodness Barnacle Boy has some sense, or else we would've been there all day, hearing about tapioca unlocking the ninth dimension, whatever the hell that means."

The door opened once more. The other half of the Sailor Team, Makoto, Minako, Sandy, Rei, Michiru, Ami, and Setsuna, walked into the treedome.

"Oh, the rest of you are here already." Minako rubbed her shoulder. "Not surprising. It feels like a ton of time has passed since we left."

Not enough time for Mamoru. If only he could've gone into the tree to start making amends with Usagi.

Was Usagi going to join the rest of the Team by herself, or would Mamoru have to goad her? He shouldn't worry about her. With a plastered-on smile, she'd find the strength to accompany them. Wouldn't leave her friends to fight without her.

SpongeBob's eyes lit up at his friends. "Hey, everyone." He shrugged. "We couldn't find the circus."

Patrick pouted. "I really wanted to play, too."

"We searched far and wide, but we were unsuccessful."

"We didn't go that far at all," Chibi-Usa said.

"I have a feeling that we'll see plenty of the Dead Moon Circus in the next few hours." Mamoru eyed Rei. "Do you sense anything?"

Rei's eyes grew distant. "It seems like they've split up, but I can't detect where they went exactly."

Minako's frown deepened. "More trouble for us. Now we have to find them separately."

"Could be good, though," Haruka said. "We won't have as many of them to fight at once."

Rustling from the tree. The door on the tree's trunk opened, revealing Usagi. Silence fell, everyone staring at Usagi. The least anyone could do to make the situation less awkward was to speak.

"Hey, there." Sandy took out a remote control from wherever these creatures stashed things on their person and then pressed the button. Wood stairs extended from the tree. Usagi, face bright, walked down the stairs. Sandy must keep tissues in her tree, or else Usagi's face would be tear-stained.

Sure enough, Usagi forced a smile. "Hi, everyone. How did things go?"

SpongeBob shook his head. "No good here. Except we did see Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy." He saluted no one, and a wind that affected only him blew his tie sideways. "They gave us the honor, privilege, and responsibility of saving their Mermalair from robots."

Patrick jabbed a thumb into his chest. "They were lookin' at me, not you. They want me to go down there."

Whipping out round glasses from his pocket and wiping them with a handkerchief, SpongeBob adopted a British accent. "I believe you need your eyes checked, good sir. He was speaking to _moi_. Besides, we already decided where we'd go. A game of Rock-Paper-Scissors means fair is fair."

Patrick kicked at the grass. "Darn. No one can argue with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Harrumph."

"Oh, my goodness," Rei said under her breath. "I have to be stuck with a man-child who's bitter from losing a stupid game."

Haruka slapped Rei's shoulder. "Good luck, hon."

Mamoru gazed at Usagi, who kept the smile glued on her face. "So, uh, how'd the robots look out there?"

Usagi flashed Mamoru a glare and then smiled, like she was questioning why he was speaking to her now if he didn't bother speaking to her when it mattered. "Everything seems like the same old, same old out there." Her jaw tightened. "I didn't see the Dead Moon Circus."

The Dead Moon Circus likely had something to do with Mamoru's cough, so she wanted to defeat the Circus. Despite her anger, she sought the best for him.

"Let's get this over with." Rei faced the door. "The sooner, the better."

Patrick and Minako skipped to either side of her, hooked their arms in her arms, made her dance in a circle like they were square dancing, Rei moving like a marionette.

"Yay," Patrick said. "I'll be fine since you light up my life, Rei."

That was the still glowing Michiru, but Rei kept her mouth closed. If anyone else glowed, then Rei would tell Patrick to paste himself to her hip instead, but Rei wouldn't dare aggravate Michiru.

Time to iron things out with Usagi while fighting off the robots. With Makoto, Haruka, and Sandy tagging along. Three third wheels. Mamoru couldn't ask to spend time alone with Usagi after blowing his chance earlier. He couldn't slow everyone down, especially with the Dead Moon Circus lurking about.

Mamoru had to find a way to heal their relationship. Somehow.

* * *

Rei was squished.

More uncomfortable than she had been when she'd ridden the taxi to the downtown area. This time, she rode a red, fish-shaped bus, sitting in the small seat beside Minako. The seats were only but so large—things in Japan were small, but Bikini Bottom took smallness to another level since the fish were small. Even though the humans had shrunk when they'd been transported to Bikini Bottom, they were larger than most of the fish.

"Goin' to Rock Bottom?" the bus driver asked when Rei, Patrick, Michiru, and Minako had first boarded.

"Sure am," Patrick said. "Rocks rule."

Was Rock Bottom a place full of rocks, or another town, separate from Bikini Bottom? No surprise if it were rock-filled. Seems like places would be named literally in Bikini Bottom.

"Just a warning. Bus service is limited since those gosh darn robots took over. If you go down to Rock Bottom, you might not be able to come back up for a few hours."

Minako bit her lip. "A few hours, huh? Well, we can fly back to Bikini Bottom once we're finished in Rock Bottom."

Michiru remained quiet, elegant. Even if she wore a deep sea dive suit, she'd be elegant and graceful. Hopefully, Rei would be like Michiru one day.

Rei's temper would get her in trouble, though.

She'd made a lot of progress since arriving in Bikini Bottom. She had begun to tolerate and work pretty well with Patrick. A feat by itself.

But Minako was with them, too. Rei could stomach only one of them at a time.

Thankfully, Michiru would inject sanity into their team, make it easier for Rei to endure the insanity that was Minako and Patrick.

However, Rei tolerated Usagi and Minako at the same time, especially when studying. Since she attended a different school, Rei didn't need to be with her friends when they were studying. She told her friends that she came to their study sessions because she had free time, but she actually came because she enjoyed their company. Couldn't kill her reputation that easily.

If Minako could hear Rei's thoughts, she'd tease, "The ice princess has melted" or "The princess has graced us with her presence and approval." Rei wasn't as stuck up as Minako believed. Minako just did some immature and stupid things that warranted sharp responses.

Minako's behavior didn't keep Rei from liking Minako.

There was something magnetic about Minako, a friendly, accepting nature. Her curiosity kept her doing ridiculous things, like climbing down wells when she was visiting the T.A. Academy for Girls that Rei attended. Rei had gotten better at bearing Minako since that episode.

Maybe Rei cared a lot about what Minako thought. At the academy, when Minako had yelled at Rei, that yell rattled Rei deep inside. Rei didn't remember what Minako had said, but Rei deserved to be yelled at; she had laughed at Minako and her plights at the academy.

Who cared if Minako was the opposite of a proper lady? Minako was her friend.

To keep thinking kind thoughts while Minako was being Minako… Now Minako had Patrick to bounce off of, frustrating Rei more while entertaining never frustrated, always patient Michiru. For the most part. Haruka rumored that Michiru had a hidden dark side, revealed when Michiru's violin practice or lessons were interrupted.

Watching Michiru be elegant and graceful all the time, even while doing something as mundane as sitting on a bus seat, swiping her skirt under her so that it didn't wrinkle, looking before she sat, Rei would never guess that Michiru had any side to her other than this emotionally stable young woman.

As the group had boarded, the bus driver's brow creased at the glowing Michiru. "What's up with you?" How rude, asking questions bluntly without a thought to others' feelings. "Why are you…glowing?"

Michiru had stopped in front of the bus driver, and the driver recoiled. "It's a long story. Would you care to hear it?"

Wow. Rei might not have been able to respond kindly but assertively. Rei would've snapped at the bus driver, especially after speaking to her like an alien. The Guardians were so different than other humans on Earth that it did seem like they were aliens sometimes.

A bead of sweat ran down the fish's forehead. "Eh, no, thank you, I'm fine. Carry on with your, your glowing." His words tumbled over one another. Michiru had scared him without being rude. Of course, the glowing helped.

Michiru had continued toward the back of the bus. Patrick was behind her and stopped before the bus driver, who had broken out into a river of sweat. "Isn't her glowing cool? I wanna glow, too." He chased Michiru and flopped beside her on the seat, Michiru not moving from the impact. Damn, she was good. "Teach me how to glow."

A small smile grew on Michiru's face. "In due time." She looked out the window.

"Yes, ma'am, I will wait for whenever two times come." Patrick had misheard Michiru big time.

Michiru chuckled. Even her chuckle was elegant.

Rei wished she could've sat beside Michiru and received Michiru's wisdom, but she was stuck beside Minako, Minako squishing Rei into the inside of the seat.

The bus began to move. No one else was aboard.

"It doesn't seem like many people go to Rock Bottom," Michiru said.

"Not many people like to hit Rock Bottom." Felt like Rei had hit rock bottom when she'd been crammed in the chimney with Patrick.

Patrick shivered. "This place is dark and scary and I wanna go home." Hadn't even reached Rock Bottom yet, and Patrick already wanted to go home. Not a good start. Tapping his fingers, he peered up at Michiru. "Can you be my night light?"

Michiru regarded Patrick for the third time since coming to Bikini Bottom. Weighing her words? Rei would've shot out a few mean words at Patrick's childishness. But being afraid of the dark, even as an adult, was fair, as Rei had learned since becoming a Guardian.

Michiru smiled. "I'll always be with you, Patrick."

The starfish's shoulders sank. "Ah, thank you so much, glowing lady. You know, if you taught me how to glow, I wouldn't need you to be my night light because I would be my own night light. And I could go by myself everywhere." He gulped. "Maybe not. The dark is scary no matter how bright it is."

"What you just said makes little sense." Rei couldn't help but spout off her mouth.

"The dark is still dark no matter how much light is in it. Especially when you're alone."

"I guess I see where you're coming from." Rei was working on being kinder to Patrick. Besides, she did sort of understand. If one was alone in any unfamiliar place, then it was scary.

"Hey, don't worry, Patrick." Minako winked. "All of us will stay with you. Especially the glowing Michiru."

"I haven't been able to figure out how to stop glowing."

"I hope you never figure it out. At least while you're around me." Patrick hugged Michiru, stealing Michiru's breath and making the Guardian stiffen. "Never, ever leave me, glowing lady."

Michiru guided Patrick off her. "Yes, of—"

The bus turned straight down.

Rei, Patrick, Minako, and Michiru slammed against the back of their seats. Patrick flipped over the top of his seat and crashed against the bus's back wall, the metal clanging. The driver said nothing, remained calm, driving like he drove down cliffs for a living. Which he probably did. The least he could've done was warn them to wear seatbelts.

Rei held fast to the edge of her seat, knuckles and veins protruding from her hands. Minako snatched Rei's shoulder, squeezed her seat, too. Michiru also held.

"What the hell is going on?" Minako growled.

"Oh, right, you folks probably aren't from around here." Didn't sound like the bus driver was straining to talk like Minako had. He couldn't sound calmer if he tried. Sounded almost bored. "Rock Bottom is down at the bottom of this cliff."

Her pupils contracted. "So, so when you said we were going down to Rock Bottom, you meant we were literally going down. Just when I thought there was nothing else crazy in Bikini Bottom…" Her mouth twitched into a smile.

"Are you really going to laugh right now?" As far as Rei was concerned, not a shred of humor was in this situation.

"If I don't laugh, I'll cry."

"I'm going to get Patrick," Rei ground out. The falling had made her tense.

"But he's fine. He's like a cartoon character. Throw anything at him, and he'll be okay."

"That's not the point. I want him to be with us." Who'd believe that these words were coming out of her mouth? If Patrick had been slammed against a bus's wall when she first met him, she wouldn't have saved him. He was their friend to take care of, to respect. "If that was Usagi or Ami or anyone else on our team, then you'd save them."

Minako flinched as if a rock had been thrown at her. "True."

"Sorry to make you feel guilty. You don't have to help. Stay here and stay safe."

Minako nodded and let go of Rei. Rei climbed over the seat, grabbed the top of each seat as she made her way toward the back, her legs sticking out like she was flying. The bus's momentum pulled back her eyelids, her lips, made it feel as though they were being sloughed off. Ignoring the burning, she kept going. If only she was clad in her deep sea dive suit; she wouldn't feel like her skin was being chiseled away.

Michiru was trying to look like she was looking straight ahead, but she observed Rei in her peripheral vision.

Rei doubled down in her efforts, putting more energy into grabbing each seat and climbing toward Patrick, the starfish watching Rei, expectant, pleading, hopeful.

Rei met Patrick, reaching. Patrick grasped her hand. Rei pulled, and Patrick pushed himself off the wall. The starfish toppled onto Rei. Tangled, they rolled under each seat, to the front where they bumped against the driver's seat.

Patrick placed his hands on the seat behind them, pushing himself and Rei up. They gripped the sides of the seat, clutched each other's hands, and held.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rei saw Michiru nod. Rei warmed. Approval.

"Good that you two made it back up here," Michiru said.

"I'll say," Patrick said, voice shaking from the bus's momentum. "Much better than being back there by myself."

"You're with us now, Patrick," Rei said. "We won't leave you."

"Thanks, Rei. I knew you were never Manray."

Had he forgotten the torture he had put her through? He sure acted like he'd known she was Manray before.

"I'm sorry, Patrick." Minako balled her hands, digging her nails into her palms. "I should've helped, too."

The starfish slung an arm around Rei's shoulder. "It's okay. I needed only one of you. Besides, it's good that none of you were hurt because of me."

A rare display of unselfishness from Patrick. Maybe he had grown, too. Rei's eyes softened. "Thanks, Patrick."

Their surroundings darkened—not only the surroundings outside the bus, but the surroundings inside as well. The lights inside the bus flicked on.

Patrick clung to Rei. "It's getting dark. Can't you glow, too?"

"Don't worry. Keep holding on to me." Rei didn't want to waste her energy producing fire to be a night light for Patrick.

Minako grinded her teeth, bit her tongue.

"Trying to keep from screaming?" Michiru said to Minako.

She glowered. "Messing with me at a time like this?"

"We're only free-falling. Nothing to be afraid of."

"Easy for you to say, glow girl."

The bus slammed back upright, like it had turned ninety degrees at once. The four banged onto their seats, an, "Oof" coming from Minako and Patrick. The bus screamed to a sudden stop, and Rei and Patrick smacked against the back of the driver's seat, slid onto the floor. The driver hadn't moved during the free-fall.

"We're here," the bus driver said. "Enjoy your stay in Rock Bottom." Was he being sarcastic?

Rei picked herself and Patrick off the floor. She glanced at the perfect Michiru, who had remained upright in her seat. Nothing could shake the older Guardian.

Minako walked to the front of the bus, Michiru following. "We'd better get going."

The driver opened the bus's door, and the four stepped off, onto the living soil that swayed underneath Rei's high heels, almost making Rei sway with it. The bus revved its engine and then sped away, riding up the cliff as quickly as it must've fallen.

Minako's eyes widened at the soil. "Patrick, what's the dirt made of?"

"Uh, dirt, of course," Patrick said.

"Yes." Minako drew out the word. "Of course." Drew out the second words, too.

Rei shivered. "Is it cold down here, or is it just me?" She did become cold easily. Might have something do with being the Guardian of Flames and basking in the heat.

"It feels fine to me." Michiru's glow brightened, permeating several yards instead of several feet like before. The robots would find the group easily, but the group could also defeat the robots easily. "We _are_ deeper in the ocean, so it makes sense that it would feel colder. I feel a bit more pressure too."

The pressure was nearly debilitating, despite King Neptune making the humans not be crushed by the pressure. Apparently, his blessing hadn't extended fully to Rock Bottom.

"I might feel fine because I'm the Guardian of the Deep Sea. Since we're deeper in the ocean, my attacks should be more powerful as well." She looked over herself. "I'mglowing brighter now."

Patrick sidled closer to her. "All the more reason to stay near you."

Michiru smiled tightly. Hiding her annoyance?

Minako crouched and scooped soil into the palm of her hands. Two eyes and a mouth popped out of the mound of dirt.

"Why do you—pffith—foreigners—pffith—like picking up dirt?" the dirt said, blowing raspberries as he spoke.

Minako gasped. "Y-you talk?" Surprisingly, she hadn't thrown the dirt down.

"I—pffith—can't—pffith—understand a word—pffith—you're saying."

Minako blinked. "Uh… I didn't—pffith—know—pffith—you talk."

"Why—pffith—yes—pffith—I do. Doesn't all dirt?"

Spit from the dirt pelted Minako's cheeks, but the Guardian didn't seem to notice, staring at the dirt, unmoving. "Y'know, I shouldn't be surprised at this point. But just as I think I've seen it all in this world, Bikini Bottom throws something new at me."

"Why does it spit?" Rei said.

"Must be the language down here." Michiru seemed unfazed.

Patrick cupped his hands. "What a beautiful language, too. I wish we spoke as eloquently as they do down in Rock Bottom, over in Bikini Bottom." Of course spitting every other word would be right up Patrick's alley.

"Please put me—pffith—down—pffith. Your hands are—pffith—filthy—pffith."

Minako scowled. "Screw you." She turned her hands over, dumping the dirt onto the ground.

Rei suppressed the urge to burst into laughter. "Wow, Mina-chan, dirt thought your hands were dirty."

She balled her hands. "Maybe their definition of 'clean' actually means dirty."

Michiru faced forward, Patrick following her every move to stay in her glow. "I'm assuming that the sunlight doesn't permeate down here. We must be in a trench."

Patrick nodded. "I don't know why the sunlight can't come down here. I dunno how the people here do without it. I mean, what if you're born afraid of the dark?" He buttoned his lips. "How would you survive?"

Rei pursed her lips, Badly trying to suppress her snark.

Ahead of them, near what seemed to be bathrooms, stood a fish with an angler antenna on his head, tongue hanging out, holding his crotch and dancing in place.

Minako winced. "Oh, I know exactly how that fish feels."

Rei shot Minako a withering look.

She cast a raised eyebrow. "What? You've never felt that strong urge before, Queen Rei, the urge that makes you want to abandon all rationale and relieve your primal needs?"

How crude _and_ T.M.I. "I'm not even going to respond."

Standing in front of the angler fish, in front of the bathroom door, was a taller, square robot with long, red, cranelike arms and a police siren atop its head.

"Apparently, that line was really long," Minako said. "That robot was waiting so long that it fell asleep while waiting. Who knew robots had the right parts to use the bathroom?"

"When I have to use the bathroom, I can't fall asleep," Patrick said. "I must ask that robot for its wisdom, about how he manages to sleep in such dire and desperate circumstances."

Rei massaged her forehead, trying to stop a budding headache. " _Please_. Stop talking. Both of you. I can't take you two right now." One was fine, but the both of them…

Minako nudged Rei. "Rei-chan, grumpy as always."

Rei sighed. "How did I get myself in this mess?" she muttered. Michiru chuckled. At least her suffering was amusing somebody.

"Shouldn't we fight the robot?" Finally, something intelligent coming out of Patrick's mouth.

"Let's wait until we see how it attacks," Michiru said. "It may be asleep, but it likely has some deadly attacks up its sleeve.

The fish tapped the robot's shoulder. The Sleepytime—the robot—whipped around, the siren on its head sounding and flashing red. It stretched, towering taller than it had before, several feet above the fish. A blue ray beamed from its eyes, onto the fish. The fish shot into the air, a high-pitched scream coming from his throat. An explosion boomed where he landed yards away.

The Sleepytime turned around, facing the bathroom door, stretched, and hung over, falling back asleep.

Patrick gawked. "What willpower. Able to go back to sleep even after waking up having to use the bathroom. Amazing."

For every intelligent thing Patrick said, three more idiotic things came out of his mouth.

A dark yellow splotch remained on the ground from where the robot had zapped the fish. Either the…remains from the fish or residue from the robot's zap. Better not think about it too much.

Several yards away, near a bus station, Mrs. Puff had watched, horrified, the whole scene play out. Wide-eyed, she faced the group. "Why didn't you save him?"

"We don't know how that robot would've reacted," Michiru said. "We wanted to watch before we stepped in. Would you have stepped in?"

Her brow furrowed. "I'm not sure. Even if I had the powers you had. Hm."

If Minako, Patrick, or herself had brought up the same concerns, then Mrs. Puff would've pushed back more. Michiru must have a way with words, too.

Michiru had a brutal way of looking at things, though. She was one of two Guardians who had wanted to kill Sailor Saturn, fearful that the younger Guardian might annihilate the universe.

"In all honesty, I'm glad you came. You always come right on time."

Seemed like Mrs. Puff had warmed considerably toward humans since the last Rei had seen of her in the downtown area. Whatever had happened to her in Jellyfish Fields must've been life-changing.

"I have a favor to ask of you." She gestured toward a squat building atop a cliff in the distance. "The robots stole all the museum's artwork. Could you please gather them and bring them back to me? I'll give you a Golden Spatula as a reward."

Michiru cocked her head. "Golden Spatula?"

"It's a spatula made of goldlike material," Patrick said helpfully.

"But does it do anything?" Thankfully, Michiru wasn't mean to Patrick for his being obvious. "Ami had talked about it a bit before, but I still don't understand what they're supposed to be used for."

"It's supposed to help you get into certain areas of Bikini Bottom, but it looks like all the usual fish who would care about that scattered `cause of the robots."

"So, basically, they're worthless," Minako said.

"Basically. But my socks aren't worthless, and you guys haven't found any of those. So I have a bunch of Golden Spatulas I'd give you if you found my socks."

"We'll keep an eye out for them." Rei hadn't seen any in the downtown area. Perhaps she hadn't been paying enough attention. She was too focused on the robots instead of socks that could be bought at a store.

Michiru placed a finger on her chin. "It might not hurt to have a Golden Spatula just in case." She looked to the museum. "I'd hate to see beautiful artwork be lost or damaged because of these robots, if they haven't been already. Okay, ma'am, we'll help you. But why not bring the artwork directly to the museum? Why do you want them?"

Mrs. Puff shook a fist. "Don't ask questions you aren't prepared to know the answers to."

Minako stepped back. "That was an unexpected and over-the-top response."

"Then I'm assuming nothing good," Michiru said. "In that case, we'll bring the artwork directly to the museum and hide them where the robots can't see them. Most museums have security guards, so we'll let them know artwork's whereabouts." She narrowed her eyes at the pufferfish, looking deadlier than usual thanks to her glow. "That way, we won't need to know why you need the artwork. We'll let you know when we're finished, and you can give us the Golden Spatula anyhow."

Excellently handled. Rei didn't have that assertiveness in her.

"Uh-huh, I understand," Mrs. Puff said. "You humans aren't as kind as I thought a few hours ago. No wonder what you did to my husband…" She shooed them away. "Go ahead. There are six pieces of artwork somewhere around this dark place. Go find them if you're so good."

One piece of artwork was propped against a rock near the bathroom, where the robot slept. Endless trenches were embedded on either side of the four, the road on which the four stood leading to another platform in the middle of another hole ahead of them. Seemed like Rock Bottom was comprised of mostly holes and trenches.

The words on the square building that served as the bathroom had upside-down and sideways English letters. However, the Japanese teenagers could understand and converse with the fish. Rei didn't want to rack her brain trying to figure out why; that was Ami and Setsuna's job. She couldn't understand the written jumbled English on not only the sign on the bathroom, but also the neon sign atop the museum. Rei couldn't quite see what the museum looked like from where she stood, Rock Bottom was so dark. Good thing the glowing Michiru lit the area.

Other than the holes and platforms around them, Rock Bottom seemed bare. An eerie quietness and mental pressure settled, an atmosphere of heaviness that Bikini Bottom didn't have crushing Rock Bottom. Perhaps the atmosphere was because of a different culture, compared to Bikini Bottom's light, friendly, playful atmosphere. Perhaps Rock Bottom's citizens were kind, but the atmosphere made it seem as though they were not.

The holes around would force them to jump and fly a lot.

Someone had to carry Patrick.

Mamoru wasn't with them.

Couldn't worry about it too much, or Rei would never want to move.

The trenches and holes would make it either easier or harder to defeat the robots. The Guardians would have to be careful while fighting. Had to make sure that they didn't fall or were shoved by the robots. Minako was mischievous enough to push the robots down. Maybe Patrick would throw them into the trenches, too.

They had to defeat the Sleepytime before snagging the first piece of artwork.

A wide light from the siren atop the Sleepytime's head surrounded the robot.

"We might have to sneak up on it so we don't wake it up like that unfortunate, exploding fish did," Minako said.

Patrick picked up and put down his feet. "I can't tiptoe. I always lose hide-and-seek to SpongeBob because I walk too loud."

"My high heels aren't the best for tiptoeing," Rei said. "And there's no way I'm taking my shoes off and walking on talking, live soil."

"I'm wearing heels, too," Minako said.

"I'm also wearing heels," Michiru said.

The group stared at one another.

"Let's throw something at it." Patrick hurled a nearby rock that was the size of his stomach. Another beam funneled from the Sleepytime's siren, which began to sound, and propelled the rock, smashing Patrick's head and flopping him onto his back. He smiled and grabbed at the sky. "I see pizza, but I can't touch it."

The Sleepytime awakened, stretching, its siren becoming louder. A blue ray beamed from its eyes, and it turned its head, sweeping its beam. The Guardians flipped backward, dodging the beam.

The glow around Michiru brightened. She extended an arm, sucking parts of the ocean into her palm. Ocean walls gathered on either side of Sailor Neptune, nearly blocking her from Rei's view. The Sleepytime's beam dissipated against one wall. The robot shot out another beam only for this beam to meet the same fate as the first.

The water in Sailor Neptune's hand grew. "Deep Submerge!" The ocean jetted out, smashing through the Sleepytime and the bathroom, the sudden dimness as a result of the lost light from the Sleepytime's siren and the lit bathroom plunging the area into more darkness. The siren stopped just as suddenly, silencing Rock Bottom once more.

The bathroom's remains crumbled to dust, revealing several sitting and standing fish with their backs turned to the Guardians. Rei and Minako blushed scarlet, turned away and covered their eyes. Minako may be nosy and goofy, but at least she had the decency to look away when others were interrupted from doing their business by a blast of water.

A light blush tinted Michiru's cheeks. Even when she was embarrassed, she was elegant. "I…I apologize."

"Now there's no place around here for fish to go relieve themselves," Minako said. "I'm glad I don't have to go. Even if I did, I'd just go in the bushes or behind a rock." She nudged Rei for the third time. If she nudged Rei one more time, then Rei would nudge her high heel into Minako's ribs. "I bet that would be too uncivilized for Rei."

"One, yes, it would be. Two, for the second time, too much information, Mina. No one wants to know about your bathroom habits."

"Patrick does."

"Patrick doesn't count."

"Aw, I was just talking about a hypothetical situation that might soon come true if we don't find another bathroom when I have to go."

Scurrying ahead. Rei dared to look. Fish struggled to hurriedly pull up their pants, one falling on his face, his behind showing. Fish smacked into one another as they tried to run from the Guardians. Some fish who'd gotten themselves together tiptoed over steel, rickety platforms ahead that would drop into a trench if one ran across.

One fish, struggling to pull his pants on and tiptoe at the same time, tripped and smacked onto his face. The rickety platform on which he stood broke, and he screamed, plummeting into the darkness.

Minako shot into the air. A similar situation had happened in Goo Lagoon, where fish had been sucked into a hole leading to the robots' lab. Minako had a special connection to holes. She would not let another fish be lost down a hole.

The other platforms, one by one, fell, and so did the fish. A chain reaction had begun thanks to that fish's clumsiness and embarrassment at literally being caught with his pants down.

Perhaps everything was Sailor Neptune's fault for not being able to control her powers.

Sailor Neptune flew toward the situation. Instead of being paralyzed by guilt, guilt motivated her—if she felt guilty. Something that Rei should do more often instead of letting her emotions control her.

Rei flew forward, too.

"Leaving Mr. Star?" Mrs. Puff shouted from behind. All he was doing was lying unconscious, dreaming about pizza. A good way to spend his time.

Rei flew down, grabbed the fish's hand.

A light shone from farther below, blinding Rei. The whirring noise thundered in her ears.

Whatever was below was out to stop them.

Minako shouted something unintelligible.

A crane reached above, felt at the surface. Extended its arm, snatching Patrick, and dropped back down.

All so quickly.

Rei flew after the crane.

She would not let Patrick go.


	27. Lightless

**Chapter Twenty-seven: Lightless**

VesVes, Plankton, and Tiger's Eye had ridden a bus straight down a cliff (flying was not as pleasant of an experience as Hawk's Eye hyped), into the darkest place that Tiger's Eye had ever been in. Without the neon lights atop buildings and in streetlamps, the three would be engulfed in darkness.

Prowling through the Amazon, hunting and devouring deer, Tiger's Eye was used to the darkness. Unlike other tigers, he enjoyed hunting at night, so being in Rock Bottom was like home.

Tiger's Eye yawned. Even though PallaPalla had transformed him into a human, a tiger's instincts still lived inside of him, as shown by his longing to sleep twenty hours a day. Being plunged into darkness didn't help matters. Since becoming a human, he didn't need as much sleep. Humans slept only eight hours every night. What did they do with the rest of their time?

Tiger's Eye wasn't hungry enough yet; if he grew ravenous, then he might eat some of these fish. Fish weren't his favorite, but they'd do. Besides, his shoulder-length, goldish orange hair; sparkling, deep brown eyes; and lithe but muscular frame would charm these fish into doing his bidding. Fisheye, a former fish, showed signs of being attracted to him, gazing into his eyes, caressing his biceps, leaning on his shoulder.

Fisheye wasn't with him, though. VesVes and that shrimp named Plankton were.

Tiger's Eye had nothing against VesVes, but he felt more of a connection with his creator, PallaPalla. VesVes was fine, more of a firecracker than her sisters. Tiger's Eye was laid back, calmly hunting his prey until devouring them, so he'd balance her out.

Plankton, though…

Tiger's Eye looked over his shoulder, at Plankton battling the bumpy road to keep up on his short legs, trailing several feet behind Tiger's Eye and VesVes. Plankton huffed and puffed, pumping his skinny arms. With one eye, he must be struggling in this darkness.

"I know you can slow down a little," Plankton called, breathless. "Clearly, you can see that I wasn't built for running."

Which was why plankton were prey instead of predators.

Maybe Plankton would wind up being useful. Despite Tiger's Eye nearly crushing him when the bus turned down the cliff. Despite his screeching like a banshee as the bus drove down. Despite his holding to VesVes' arm with his hands and his mouth clamped around it, VesVes swatting Plankton away, slobber covering her arm.

Plankton tripped and fell facedown, crawled forward. Maybe not.

At least Plankton was persistent and determined, a contrast to Tiger's Eye's innate laziness—sleeping twenty hours a day was undoubtedly lazy. Maybe their team was stronger than they seemed.

VesVes raised her whip. "I oughta whip you into running faster."

Plankton turned up his nose. "If you hypnotize me, I won't be able to bend the robots to your whim."

"More importantly, I'll be hypnotized, too," Tiger's Eye said, "which'll make me less helpful to you. Trust me, you don't want that."

VesVes tapped her chin. "I don't have CereCere holding me back."

Tiger's Eye gaped. She was seriously considering hypnotizing him. Plankton, Tiger's Eye didn't care about, but he cared about himself. Besides PallaPalla and his sisters, his favorite thing was himself.

Nevertheless, he owed the Quartet his more enjoyable life as a human. Even if he was enslaved to the Quartet, he would gladly serve them, putting their lives above his own, because they had blessed him with this human body, a deeper life than hunting and sleeping every day in the jungle.

"Naw, I shouldn't." VesVes hooked her whip at her waist. "Not this early, anyhow. I oughta save your energy for tough enemies. Like those Guardians."

If the Guardians could defeat the Dead Moon Circus in their own territory, then what were they capable of underwater? Compared to the Dead Moon Circus, they understood exponentially more about how Bikini Bottom operated, could twist the environment to their advantage. Plankton had tried to explain how Bikini Bottom worked, but since Bikini Bottom was normal to him, he didn't know what to talk about. Even if Plankton was able to explain the differences and nuances, the Dead Moon Circus would still be disadvantaged. The Guardians had experienced Bikini Bottom, not just heard about it. They could work with instead of against it.

The three walked farther into Rock Bottom, passing a pufferfish.

The pufferfish's eyes brightened. "Ah, more humans. You must be friends of those other humans who helped me in Jellyfish Fields. Here to help with the robots?"

Great, these fish were gullible, too.

"I've never seen so many humans come down here before, though." She cocked her head, which was almost her whole body. Sizing them up?

Tiger's Eye flipped his hair, smirked at the female.

The pufferfish rolled her eyes. "I'm taken, sir."

His jaw dropped. No one had resisted his charm before. "By who?" he blurted.

"A man much more handsome than you."

He snarled. "Really?" No one like that existed on Earth.

The pufferfish nodded. "And he's not arrogant."

He stepped closer to her. "I have to see a picture of this guy." This pufferfish seemed to be on the older side. The existence of an older man more handsome than Tiger's Eye was impossible.

The pufferfish stepped back, holding a painting between herself and Tiger's Eye. "Don't come near me." Jabbed the painting toward him. She must be goosey if she thought that a painting would stop Tiger's Eye.

Tiger's Eye walked toward her, gesturing to himself. "Come here, you—"

The painting slammed into Tiger's Eye's chest, and he flew backward, hollering curses. He crashed into the sand, blood spraying from his mouth, slid backward, under a tall, sleeping robot's light, a fish standing behind the robot, waiting to use the bathroom. The robot startled awake, a siren from its head sounding. It whipped, facing Tiger's Eye. A blue laser shot from its eye, zapping Tiger's Eye, propelling him into the air. He spiraled into a trench, smoke trailing from his burned behind.

"Good riddance," the pufferfish said, VesVes and Plankton chasing, Plankton saying that he couldn't fly, VesVes saying that he'd better figure out how. "I'll keep waiting for my real heroes to arrive."

* * *

Patrick dreamed.

Of ice cream and cupcakes and chips and roast beef and chicken and pizza. Of playing in Glove World with SpongeBob, riding the rides, having the park all to themselves because, thanks to Patrick, they'd won a contest, and the prize included hogging Glove World to themselves. Finally, Patrick had won something other than that trophy he'd won for doing nothing. All because he had sat on the phone and butt-dialed a radio station at the right time while watching guys get hit in their giant heads with giant coconuts (the bigger the head, the bigger the coconut necessary).

SpongeBob and Patrick played hide-and-seek in Glove World using the rides and the food-filled concession stands. SpongeBob, the genius, always found Patrick because the starfish always chowed down on glove-shaped cotton candy, hot dogs, candy apples at the concession stands. Patrick could never find SpongeBob as easily since the sponge plastered himself on the underside of the docks, on the sides of ride carriages, shaped himself into a seahorse on the merry-go-round. No wonder Patrick had tried to imitate the awesome SpongeBob to win a prize.

Patrick dreamed of Rei, his other best friend, besides Squidward, SpongeBob, and Sandy. He'd spent the most time with her, played with Robo-Sandy with her. At first, Rei had always been mad with Patrick, and the starfish couldn't understand why. After all, Patrick was only being cautious around her. She was new to Bikini Bottom, and her name was so similar to Manray's that he had to make sure the two weren't related. Patrick had envious detective skills and a diabolical brain that even he wasn't aware of sometimes. Like that time it had turned out that he had thrown the peanut at the clam. Who knew that, with all of his own investigations, Patrick, the true evildoer, outsmarted himself and evaded justice? In the end, SpongeBob had been the perpetrator, but Patrick had himself going for a while. Heck, SpongeBob turning out to be the true culprit was a twist in itself. Innocent SpongeBob throwing a peanut at a clam? Blasphemous.

While playing hide-and-seek in Glove World, he noticed Rei standing near a concession stand, glaring at a glove as she poked her finger inside, lighting a fire.

"Hey, Rei," Patrick said, "are you trying to make a day light instead of a night light?" The light was never light enough for Patrick. "Or are you angry at the glove?" He pounded the palm of his hand. "What big, bad thing did the glove do to you, Rei? I can help you get revenge."

She twitched, glanced at him. Not sure what that twitch meant. "No, the glove didn't do anything, Patrick. I'm testing my powers down here. Seeing what I can and can't do."

"Mm. Since you're not doing anything important, can you help me find SpongeBob? We're playing hide-and-seek. We don't win anything if we find him."

"If you're trying to motivate me to help find him, you're not doing a good job." She mumbled, "What a waste of time. But I'll help you anyhow." So Rei and Patrick set off, searching for SpongeBob together.

"You know, Patrick, even though we have the most…opposite personalities, we end up working together an awful lot." A smile touched her face. "Surprisingly, we make a good team."

"Agreed. Once you decided not to be Manray, you turned out to be a pretty good human."

Rei deflated. "I should be getting used to the things that come out of your mouth by now." Why did everyone react the way they did when Patrick said something? He made sense, not them. Like SpongeBob, Patrick was a genius, so he knew these things. If everyone spoke simply, then everything would be simple. But no, they had to use these complicated, humongous, nonsensical words.

Rei and Patrick searched Glove World, not separating because Rei said, "If we separated, then we might lose each other. And I don't want to lose you again."

"Again?"

"Remember when we were in Rock Bottom and the robot knocked you unconscious by throwing your rock back at you? Michiru-san, Mina-chan, and I left you for just a moment and then a giant crane came out of the ground and snatched you up." She placed a hand on her chest. "I promise to never leave your side again."

"What are you talking about? You never left my side, and you never let any crane capture me. I don't remember anything like that, and I remember lots of stuff. Like what I ate two hours ago. A roast beef, chicken, some pizza… Anyway, we're in Glove World now, trying to find SpongeBob, so I couldn't have been captured or I wouldn't be here with you." Was he truly dreaming? His dream seemed too real. Could Rei waltz into Patrick's dream, like SpongeBob had done? Maybe hijacking others' dreams was part of her powers, too.

"No, something did capture you." Her voice became hazy, distant. "And I will save you, Patrick." She reached for him, but the pier between them stretched. They ran toward each other, both reaching, but the pier grew farther and farther so that they couldn't reach each other. The brightness of Patrick's dream fell away, leaving blackness.

Throbbing pulsed between his eyes. Hot wings danced in the air. He tried to pluck one down into his mouth, but the hot wings disappeared. Why did food always disappear when Patrick tried to eat it? It wasn't like food existed for any other purpose, so food shouldn't be scared of being eaten.

Wait, were his eyes still closed? No, they were already open.

He couldn't see.

Darkness surrounded the starfish. Patrick shook. The dark scared him. Why did darkness exist, anyway? Unlike food, darkness had no purpose but to scare people. No one liked to be scared.

Patrick patted the ground. Was he laying on metal? Maybe he was in one of those labs that Minako, Sandy, and Makoto had talked about.

Patrick shot upright. He had to get out of here. Simple as that, because simple was everything and everything was simple. But he couldn't see, compliments of the darkness, which made things not so simple.

Without a night light, he couldn't do anything. His eyes adjusted slightly to the dark. An orange-haired human lay beside Patrick, cradling his head. Tribal markings were painted under his left eye.

"Hey, you look like Rei and the others," Patrick said. Thank goodness he'd found a human friend down here. "Who are you? I'm Patrick."

The human growled. Rei and her friends didn't growl, even when responding to something that Patrick's genius didn't allow them to understand. Sometimes, things were so simple that one couldn't understand.

"Too bad I don't eat starfish."

"That's okay. Lots of things don't eat starfish. I eat lots of things, but I wouldn't eat me."

The human pressed his lips into a thin line. "Good to hear." He rubbed his shoulder. "Tigers aren't used to being this deep in the ocean." Roared out a yawn. "And I've never been awake for so long."

"Do you know how we got down here?" Patrick said. "I remember dreaming about pizza that I couldn't touch and then roast beef that I couldn't touch and then hot wings that I couldn't touch and now I'm here. I'd rather be dreaming about food I can't touch than down here."

"One of those robots made me fall down here, thanks to that pufferfish." He clenched and unclenched his hands. "Next time I see her, I'll chew each of her body parts slowly and torture her as long as possible." He barked out a laugh and then covered his mouth. "I shouldn't be too loud. I mean, damn, I can barely see, and I'm a tiger. Unless being turned into a human made my eyes worse." Blinked several times. "Ah, there we go. I can see much better now."

Patrick jumped onto his feet, grabbed the human's hands and jumped up and down, jouncing the human in unison. "Really? `Cause I can't see at all."

The human snatched his hands from Patrick. "Don't touch me. The only ones allowed to touch me are beautiful females. You are neither beautiful nor a female."

Patrick bowed down to the human, laying on his face and stretching his arms toward the human. "Please, sir, lead me along this path." He shook his head, scraping his face against the cold metal floor. "I know not where we be right now."

Silence. Patrick peered up. The human regarded Patrick, lips pursed once more.

"You're so annoying that I might have to kill you."

"I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about when you say 'kill' me, but I do know that Rei and the others are looking for me."

The human's eyebrows shot up. "Rei and the others? This 'Rei and the others' wouldn't happen to be a group of humans, would they?"

"Yeah. You look a lot like them. Are you their friends?"

A smile spread on the human's face. "Yes, I'm friends with them." He hugged himself. "I miss them so much. We were separated back in Japan. You have to take me to them."

"Gladly, Mr. Orange Hair."

"Call me Tiger's Eye."

"Why are you called Tiger's Eye? You're not an eye." Why would anyone name someone something that they weren't? Made no sense.

Tiger's Eye squared his expression. "So you're stupid. Either a good thing or a bad thing. I haven't figured out which yet."

Patrick waved his hand. "No, Mr. Tiger's Eye, I know that simple is everything and everything is simple." He fisted his hips. "In fact, lots of people don't think in the great way I do. SpongeBob taught me that when I tried to imitate him, that it was fine being myself. I won an award anyway."

"Good for you. The worst you can do is annoy me because you spew out so much stupidity, but you don't seem harmful." His mouth twisted into a fanged grin. "I can use you to help me get closer to the Guardians."

"All right, then. You must not be a villain because villains never say their plans out loud. Villains stay quiet all the time on _The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy._ "

"I don't know what that is, and I don't care. All I care about is being reunited with my friends. I usually don't touch ugly, stupid starfish, but this time, I'll make an exception." Tiger's Eye grabbed Patrick's wrist. "Come on, you."

"Patrick. I thought I told you my name."

"You did, you." Tiger's Eye pulled Patrick forward, through the darkness.

"Please don't let go of my arm." A shiver rocked Patrick. "I hate the dark."

"Never would I let go of you. _Patrick._ " Tiger's Eye spat his name out. Must be a form of endearment. Tiger's Eye was starting to like Patrick. But everyone liked Patrick, so Patrick wasn't surprised. Even Squidward, although Squidward had weird ways of showing Patrick that he liked the starfish, like when Squidward shoved Patrick out of his tiki, or when Squidward yelled at Patrick. The octopus was hard on the outside but mushy on the inside.

Patrick's and Tiger's Eye's feet clunked softly on the metal floor. Whirring noises echoed about them.

Tiger's Eye cringed, hesitating. "Urgh, I hate machines. I sure hope there aren't any down here."

"Do the robots everywhere count as machines?"

"Close enough for me."

"Don't worry. Rei will save us. She told me so in my dream."

Another pause. "Dream, huh?" He snickered, said under his breath, thinking that Patrick couldn't hear just because the starfish didn't have ears, "VesVes will be pleased to hear this." He glanced at Patrick. "So, Rei can enter people's dreams?"

"I think so. Wait, if you're her friend, shouldn't you know this?"

"I do. But I was testing you to make sure you're her friend and not a robot."

"Ah, that makes sense. Y'know, I thought Rei was a villain at first, too. She was Manray and then I transformed her back into Rei. But her friends sometimes call her Sailor Mars." Patrick shrugged. "I'm not sure which one she is."

"Doesn't matter to me. As long as I kill her with my irresistible charm, I'm good." He scoffed. "That pufferfish doesn't have good taste."

"You mean Mrs. Puff?"

"That's her name? Yes, I suppose I'm talking about her. Can't wait to sink my teeth into her."

"Is that how you say hi to other people? Why didn't you say hi to me like that?"

"First, of course I do. Everyone loves the feeling of my teeth ripping through their flesh. Second, I greet only close friends like that. Maybe I'll chomp parts of you off once we grow closer."

"Ah, okay." If it made sense and was simple, then it was true. Simple as that.

As the two continued, the whirring noise grew louder.

Tiger's Eye cupped his chin. "I wonder why whoever brought us down here put us right next to each other and left us alone. You would think that they'd have a tighter rein on us."

"Beats me. Maybe there's someplace they want us to go."

Tiger's Eye raised an eyebrow. "That's the first intelligent thing that's come out of your mouth today. We could be walking toward a trap, but my masters equipped me well enough to defeat the Sailor Guardians, let alone whatever some robots have in store for us."

The two reached a rock wall.

"There has to be a way out." Tiger's Eye turned. A crane crashed through the wall, grabbing at Tiger's Eye and Patrick. Tiger's Eye yelped, scurried backward, slamming Patrick on his behind and grinding him backward, too.

"N-no wonder they let us walk a-a-around." Tiger's Eye ripped his hand out of Patrick's, shoved the starfish toward the crane. "You first."

"Aw, how polite." Patrick swung himself upright, facing the crane that grabbed at the air before homing on him. The crane thrust him flat on his back. It turned Patrick's head right and left, up and down. A strip of green light shot from the ceiling, passed horizontally over him.

Tiger's Eye gaped. "What is going on?"

"I don't feel anything," Patrick said. "How disappointing. At least tickle me. I like being tickled."

"Don't you realize the danger you're in?"

"Huh? This is fun. Fun isn't dangerous."

The crane grabbed the tip of Patrick's head, yanking him into the air.

"Now it's not." Pain shot from the tip of Patrick's head to his toes. He wasn't squishy like SpongeBob. The crane turned Patrick toward the hole in the wall.

"Patrick!"

Patrick rotated his eyes to the back of his head so that he could see. Rei, Sailor Mars, Manray, whatever her name was, flew toward him, a red aura surrounding her.

"Let go of him." Rei pointed her right arm to the ceiling, extending her index and middle fingers, fire sparking on the tips. "Mars…" She threw her arms toward the crane, and a line of flame shot forth. "…Snake Fire!" The fire exploded against the crane, reddening the machine. The heat reached Patrick, and he hollered, wriggling in the crane's grasp. Felt like he was going to melt alongside the crane. Patrick's vision blurred; the heat, the smoke, the pain from the crane and Rei's attack, all of it made him cry.

"I'm so sorry." Rei dove toward Patrick, not seeming to have noticed Tiger's Eye. If they were friends, they should've said hi to each other.

"Not so fast." Tiger's Eye stretched a hand toward her, and a light sparked in the palm of his hand. Rei's eyes dulled, like the life had been extinguished. Her aura faded, and she plummeted to the floor, a thudding noise reverberating. Sounded like she hit the floor hard.

The crane sucked Patrick through the hole, to a lab-like area, similar to the one Makoto, Minako, and Sandy had described. Many more vats stood in the perimeter. Maybe the robots had brought some of their old lab in Goo Lagoon to Rock Bottom.

Time for Patrick to save all the fish in the vats and stop these robots.

Patrick sniveled, inhaling the goo coming from his runny nose. He ballooned out his stomach, snapping the crane in half. He spun forward, rocketing toward one of the vats. Hollering, robots below scattered, some running in circles, barreling into one another and shattering.

He smashed through the vat, shards of glass showering about the lab and striking several robots, one shard piercing a Chomp-Bot's mouth and out the other end, the Chomp-Bot collapsing into a pile of nuts and bolts.

Patrick grabbed the top of his head, peeled himself off the floor. He had landed on a little boy. He stepped off.

The boy's eyes shot open, and he yelled, "All of my biscuits!" His eyes darted about, and he panted. "Wait, what?"

"One saved." Patrick swiveled around. At least a bajillion vats stood around the lab. If two fish were stuffed in one vat, then at least a quadzillion fish were stuck in the vats. Had to be a button somewhere that would free all the fish.

"You can help me." He jabbed a finger into the boy's face. "We gotta find all the buttons and push every single one of them."

The boy jumped up and down. "I like pushing buttons."

"Good. Then go." Patrick shoved the boy like he had seen Mermaid Man to do other young protégés on T.V. The boy fell on his face. "You're s'posed to fly." As long as Mermaid Man was powered by tapioca, pushing others made them fly, guaranteed.

Another crane broke free from the floor and hovered over Patrick and the boy, hissing like a snake. The crane shot toward the boy, would eat him if Patrick didn't act. Maybe another push would make the boy grow wings and fly out of here. Patrick shoved the boy, spinning him across the floor. A millisecond later, the crane clamped its pincers on Patrick's shorts, stretching them over his head, blinding him with green. The crane pulled him into the air. Patrick flailed, reached for his shorts. He liked his shorts, but not so much that he wanted to live inside of them.

"Find the button," Patrick yelled.

"Definitely. These robots made me lose my biscuits."

Lots of scurrying and scraping and banging and clanging and smacking and robot beeps and boops and crashes throughout the lab.

"Yeah, keep being stupid, you stupid robots," the boy said. "Lemme give you a play-by-play. Oh, Billy the Kid swerves, dodges more robots and makes more of `em crash into each other and break themselves. Oh, how stupid they are, more stupid than biscuits, which don't have brains, so they're really stupid. Crash, boom, bang. There go more, thanks to Billy the Kid's bangin' spin moves. He just keeps fakin' `em out. They kept telling me I was too short to play basketball, but who's short now, Mama? Oh, oh, he's getting closer to the button. Yeah, yeah." A gasp. "No, no." A scream. "Help. Help. This little boy's being abducted by a stranger. The danger." A shriek. "This robot with too many hands is carrying me and—" He broke into a laugh. "…t-t-tickling me." Kept laughing. "Take this." A bang. A thud. "That's how ya do it. There's the button. He shoots his finger, and push!"

The crane extended this way and that. The robots yowled.

"The robots are getting outta the way now," Billy said. "They're jumping and flying away. Oh, that robot with the umbrella is being stupid because he's not moving fast enough." Another bang followed by a crash. "Dang, right through the wall. That's what happens when there's a fast, deadly crane and you keep moving like a slowpoke. But none of those fishy robots or green tanks are being hurt. Yay. I think."

Another smash, the pants sliding off Patrick and floating downward. The crane had burst through the ceiling, into the middle of Rock Bottom Museum. The crane turned in all directions like it didn't know where it was. Lasers crisscrossed throughout the museum; the crane struck Patrick through one of them, burning his legs to ashes, a siren sounding.

His pain was quickly replaced by excitement at the sight of one of his favorite superheroes, the imposing Barnacle Boy, standing near the entrance with his big, Squidward nose and pale face and clammy, liver-spotted hands, gaping at an underwear-clad Patrick and the crane. His underwear drifted off him, draping over Barnacle Boy's head. Barnacle Boy peeled off the underwear and gripped it, white-knuckled, gawking.

"What," Barnacle Boy said, sounding like all the air had been stolen from his body.

Patrick grinned. "Hi, Barnacle Boy."

Barnacle Boy held his powerfully bald head. "Another day, another headache. Foolish Barnacle Boy, thinking you'd have a nice, calm night here."

Seahorses backflipped in Patrick's stomach. As the day went on, everything became more and more fun.


	28. Approach March

**Chapter Twenty-eight: Approach March**

VesVes had tried to chase Tiger's Eye, but her plan hadn't worked. First, she tried to fly, flapping her arms like an idiot to take to the air but only jumping up and down, stepping on Plankton at one point.

"Give up, give up," Plankton said after being crushed for the first time. The wuss. "This is the fourteenth time you've stepped on me. We can find another way down."

Giving up was not an option.

"I, I mean, I have a machine that will help us."

VesVes landed, crushing Plankton once more. She stepped off Plankton, crouched, peeled Plankton upright. Hardy guy, still conscious after being stepped on allegedly fourteen, now fifteen times.

"What machine is this?" VesVes said.

"Maybe my lasers can help us. Yes, I have the genius to give them the ability to fly." Plankton rubbed his hands. "Then we'll save your friend, and then we'll steal the secret formula, and then we'll ride around Bikini Bottom on my flying lasers, vaporizing everyone." He broke into a laugh.

VesVes squeezed him, interrupting his laugh with a gag. "How can such a small thing be so loud?"

"Genius speaks loud."

Was that true? No way was the loud CereCere a genius. But VesVes was loud too; of course VesVes was a genius.

She dropped Plankton onto the sand. "Take me to these lasers."

Plankton faced the chasm. "We have to get past here first." He gazed up at the museum standing at the other end. "And there's no way we're climbing up there without flying. There used to be a path to the museum, but the robots must have destroyed it."

The museum was erect on a platform raised several miles above, overlooking Rock Bottom. VesVes couldn't climb up without dying from exhaustion.

VesVes growled. "Genius speaks loud, but it passed over you." She lifted her foot. "Ready to be crushed for the sixteenth time today?"

Plankton backed away. "Hey, hey, that's not necessary. We can still get past this pit. All we do is find a flying robot to take us." He stroked back his antennae. "I have the suave persuasion skills to make the flying robots help us."

Grabbing Plankton, VesVes readied herself to sprint. "I'll run across these things instead." Metal platforms were suspended in the air, over the chasm in which Tiger's Eye had spiraled. "I could ride these floating things all the way down to Tiger's Eye, rescue him, and then float back up."

Plankton choked. "These platforms are too rickety to run over. You have to tiptoe over them, or they'll fall and destroy you before they float back up." His eyes grew distant. "I saw things down there that I never can unsee." He shivered. "Oh, the humanity."

VesVes wanted to charge forward, save Tiger's Eye as soon as possible, but curiosity overtook her. Her instinct screamed against wasting more time standing around and planning and talking. "What did you see?"

"The darkness was overwhelming." Plankton shut his eyes. "I can never unsee the darkness."

Not only was Plankton an arrogant idiot, but he was also a fearful fool. "Why am I keeping you alive again?"

"Because I'm a lethal combination of adorableness and genius?"

"I think I'm starting to forget. Which means that if you annoy me any more, I don't care if these robots can obey only you, I'll kill you anyway. Got it?"

Plankton squealed like a scared pig. "But your sisters will be mad."

"They'll get over it."

"But they'll be really, really mad."

"Then they'll have to really, really get over it."

"What about our deal? Without me around to make these robots obey me and, by extension, you, you won't be able to destroy those Guardians. And if you can't destroy the Guardians, then you can't find your Golden Crystal. And if you can't find your Golden Crystal, then, well, I'm not sure what'll happen, but it won't be good."

The queen wouldn't be happy. The old hag, Zirconia, wouldn't be happy, either, but who cared about Zirconia's feelings? "True." Maybe Plankton could clue them in to the Golden Crystal's location.

 _Or…_ VesVes cracked her whip. Plankton stood at attention. She crouched. "Do you know where the Golden Crystal is?"

"No, Master." An immediate, albeit disappointing, reply.

VesVes scowled, stood. Perhaps it would be better to keep Plankton brainwashed so he stayed quiet and didn't annoy her, but he could tell her some useful tidbits about Bikini Bottom that she'd miss if she kept him brainwashed. VesVes lashed her whip, and Plankton relaxed, sharpness returning to his eyes.

"What a wonderful world…" he sang. "All of these idiotic fish bowing down to I, Plankton, ruler of the universe." A laugh rumbled from his belly.

Plankton's dreams might be helpful to the Dead Moon Circus and, more importantly, the queen. Entering his dreams could reveal where the Golden Crystal was. Despite Plankton's disdain for Bikini Bottom, he knew a great deal about it, so entering his dream, possibly hijacking it into a nightmare for fun, would serve the Dead Moon Circus well.

For now, they had to focus on the chasm ahead.

"I bet those Guardians are on their way," Plankton said. "We could wait for them."

VesVes bared her fang-like teeth. "That's the first good idea you've had all day."

* * *

No one else could be lost to the robots. If it happened again, Minako wouldn't blame herself as much as she had the first time, but the situation wouldn't be any more pleasant. After all, she should've learned from what had happened in Goo Lagoon.

A red aura burst around Rei. Sailor Mars threw the fish she was carrying to the surface and then shot into the darkness, after Patrick, leaving Michiru and Minako to save the other fish. Goo Lagoon all over again.

"We'll be here forever if we try to save these fish one-by-one." Minako hadn't used any new moves since powering up into Super Sailor Venus. As a Guardian, protecting was part of her job description. Some defensive moves had to be in her arsenal.

Regardless, this was not the time or place to try new moves. She wrapped her chain around several fish, whisking them to the sand where, upon release, they scurried away. One's pants fell down the hole, and the fish reached after it, moaning for his pants. Minako had never seen anyone become overwhelmed with grief at losing his pants.

"I'm sorry," Minako yelled after the bare-bottomed fish, who waddled toward the hole.

"No," the fish wailed. "I can't be seen without my pants."

"Today you will." Minako aimed her chain, but a water dragon thrice her size roared past. She lost her breath. Like Makoto's dragon, only fashioned from water.

The dragon hissed, a water tongue snaking from its mouth. Not a dragon. A serpent.

The serpent coiled around one group of fish near the edge, including the fish reaching for his pants. The fish cried louder, struggling in the serpent's coiled tail. The serpent broke in half. Its second self lengthened into another serpent, its tail kicking up a second group of fish falling into the hole, and it wrapped its tail around them. The serpents backed to the surface, dumping the fish onto the sand, and then retracted into each of Sailor Neptune's hands.

All was quiet. The fish gathered themselves, standing, some staring over their shoulders at Sailor Neptune as they ran away. The fish who had lost his pants asked another if he could borrow her pants for the rest of his life, and the woman slapped his cheek, whipping his head ninety degrees. Mrs. Puff stared at the Guardians, wide-eyed.

Sailor Neptune stepped to the edge of the sand. "We have to go after her." Her voice had taken on a godlike quality that commanded obedience.

Before Minako could fly down, Sailor Neptune perked, narrowed her eyes. "I feel them."

Minako raised an eyebrow. "Feel who?"

"Our enemies," Michiru said, mouth barely moving. Trying to look as though she and Minako didn't know that their enemies were near. One attack from the strengthened Sailor Neptune could kill the Dead Moon Circus.

Michiru materialized her mirror in her hand, raised it to her head and flipped her hair, smiling at her reflection. Searching for their enemies while pretending to be an airheaded teenager preoccupied by her appearance.

"What is that thing?" Michiru said, winking at her own reflection. She showed Minako the mirror.

"Plankton. He survived, too?" Were the creatures down here made of titanium? Not that she had wanted Plankton to die. An extreme fate for someone like him.

Plankton and VesVes crouched behind a boulder, peeking at the Guardians. What were they doing here, and did they have something to do with Patrick's capture?

Had they teamed up?

Plankton couldn't be much of an asset to the Dead Moon Circus. Despite his stature, he was loud and conspicuous, more of a liability than an asset.

Since he'd persuaded the Dead Moon Circus to work with him, Plankton must be smarter and tougher than he looked. He shouldn't be underestimated.

Nevertheless, Minako and Michiru had to eradicate their enemies before they struck again.

"What do we do?" Minako mouthed.

"Aren't you the leader?"

"Be serious." Who would've thought those words would come out of her mouth?

"I am. You're our leader."

"Doesn't mean I can't get your opinion." Michiru was like Rei on steroids. Regular Rei, Minako could handle. Rei on steroids, Minako could not handle.

Michiru was older, had an aloof maturity and seriousness that distanced she and Minako. They had never talked one-on-one, been alone with each other. And now they were alone with each other in a life-or-death situation, at an impasse that could shape the rest of their journey in Bikini Bottom. Not the best time for Minako and Michiru to be forging a relationship.

VesVes, the beast tamer, accompanied Plankton, could control any fish in Bikini Bottom but hadn't. Why?

"I think we should end them," Minako whispered. Couldn't risk VesVes commanding the fish to give her whatever the Dead Moon Circus was searching for.

"I think we should bide our time," Michiru said. Minako glared. Hadn't she just said that Minako was the leader? She should've obeyed Minako without question.

No, that's not who a leader was. A leader was someone who took criticism from others maturely.

Minako took deep breaths to calm herself. "Why?"

"Let's see what they're doing here. They might accidentally give us some hints about their goal and where the other members of their circus troupe are. Besides, we don't want to walk into any traps."

VesVes smirked at the two. Biding her time, too.

"She's reckless, that VesVes. She'll likely lose her patience and attack first." Thank goodness Michiru was perceptive.

"We can't leave them up here, though."

"Agreed. Let's keep going like we normally would and see what they do. I don't think they can fly, so they wouldn't be able to follow us down where Rei and Patrick are. Rei and Patrick should be fine by themselves." Michiru made her mirror dissipate. "Let's go," she said loudly. Making sure that Plankton and VesVes could hear them. Was her voice higher pitched, too, trying to sound airheaded, like she'd behaved?

Some rickety platforms remained, connecting two cliffs over a chasm that led toward the museum. Plankton and VesVes would be able to follow the Guardians.

"We'll have to move way too slowly over these platforms," Minako said. "We should fly."

Minako and Michiru took to the air and drifted over the platforms, to the solid surface near the museum.

There were plenty of robots around for them to destroy.

Creaking sounded behind them. Minako glanced. Plankton and VesVes snuck across the platforms together, Plankton telling VesVes that she had to tiptoe more slowly or else the platforms would break, VesVes barking at him to be quiet already because she knew and he didn't have to be obvious and loud.

With her chain, Minako lassoed and crushed several robots. Michiru cast weaker versions of Deep Submerge and Submarine Reflection to defeat the robots, the waves small. No need to spend unnecessary energy fighting the little guys when the big guys were behind them.

Minako and Michiru reached the next platform, Plankton and VesVes arguing. How could they think that they were being inconspicuous?

Bubble Buddy awaited them on solid ground ahead.

Michiru looked the bubble up and down. "What is this supposed to be?"

He spread his arms. "I'm a bubble. What else could I be?"

Michiru remained silent, at a loss for words. Suddenly, the Outer Guardians didn't seem like they had answers to everything. Minako knew more about Bikini Bottom than Michiru did. She gained a weird sense of satisfaction. More selfishness, Minako reveling in someone's ignorance.

Minako had never met Bubble Buddy in person, but Usagi and Ami had briefly told Minako and Makoto about the bubble. Rei, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa had also met the bubble in the downtown area. Apparently, Bubble Buddy was a figment of SpongeBob's imagination. SpongeBob loved bubbles too much.

The bubble waved. "I'm Bubble Buddy. Nice to meet you two."

Minako and Michiru introduced themselves, Michiru examining the bubble, brow creased like he was a puzzle instead of a simple bubble.

Leaning to their right, Bubble Buddy looked past them. Even though he was eyeless, he could see. "Is SpongeBob or Patrick with you? What about Sandy?"

Minako shook her head. "We split up for a little while."

"Smart. Covering more ground." Bubble Buddy lowered his voice, straightening. "Well, I do see a couple of folks behind you. They look like they don't want to be seen, but they're very obvious."

"Yes, we know," Michiru said. "We're trying to find out what their motives are."

"Damn, they're slow," VesVes said. "Again, with the talking. So much talking. Can't they just move?"

"They're very, very obvious," Bubble Buddy said. "And they don't seem bright. Plankton thinks he is, but he isn't. Which is a tragedy in some way."

Minako nodded. Thinking that you were smart when you weren't was a dangerous hole to be in. For a "genius," Plankton didn't have much common sense, a pitfall that many geniuses fell into, though Ami and Setsuna had a lot of common sense.

"Anyhow, I suppose you need help getting through Rock Bottom." Bubble Buddy straightened his hat. "The robots destroyed the pathway leading to the museum. You'll have to find another way around."

"We can fly inside, but there are robots around that need to be destroyed." Minako whispered, "And we need to keep a close watch on our special guests."

"At this rate," Plankton whispered, but not lowly enough, "they'll take us right where we need to be."

"Good luck," Bubble Buddy said. "SpongeBob has a lot of faith in you guys. Since he has faith in you, so do I."

Although he hadn't helped, Minako and Michiru thanked Bubble Buddy and then ran up the road, where a Sleepytime snoozed ahead, a Fodder wheeling around it. Minako lassoed, crushing the Fodder into pieces. She drew back her chain and then whipped it toward the Sleepytime. The chain touched the Sleepytime's light, a blue light shooting from its head and repelling her chain, throwing Minako back. She slammed onto the ground. Stars with eyes cha-cha danced about. The Sleepytime was determined not to let anyone disturb its sleep. Minako could use its security system. Her teacher wouldn't dare wake her in the middle of class again. School was mainly for catching up on sleep between weekends, anyhow.

Michiru launched a weaker version of Deep Submerge, but the blue light shot from the Sleepytime once more, and the wave and light collided with each other. Michiru pulsed energy, widening the wave, but the robot's light broadened in tandem. How could the Sleepytime's defense mechanism stand against Michiru's attack?

The Sleepytime awakened. It lurched upward, its siren booming. Other sirens echoed nearby.

A yelp from behind. Sleepytimes surrounded Plankton and VesVes; had they thought that Plankton and VesVes broke their reverie?

VesVes would look out for only herself. Michiru could take care of herself. Plankton lacked the common sense and power to save himself.

Minako had to at least save Plankton.

She jumped, hovered above the three Sleepytimes surrounding Plankton and VesVes. Plankton's eyes darted between the Sleepytimes, and he pointed at each of them. "I command you to obey me. Obey me now." Like politely commanding them to obey him would work.

VesVes raised her whip.

With Sailor Venus' upgrade into Super Sailor Venus had come a new attack. Now might be a good time to try it. Minako didn't want to kill Plankton, but she didn't mind apprehending or stunning him with her attack.

Her chain morphed into a whip adorned with roses. The name reverberated in her head—the Love Whip. Didn't seem as powerful as her chain, but looks could be deceiving.

She held her whip before her. The words came. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Golden light burst from her whip, piercing two Sleepytimes simultaneously.

She swept the energy to VesVes, and the light clashed against VesVes' whip. The beast tamer fell to her knees, grinding her teeth as she struggled against Sailor Venus' energy. Plankton cowered behind VesVes. A Sleepytime launched its own blue beam onto Plankton's behind, and Plankton shot into the air, yelping. The Sleepytime snatched Plankton, Plankton's eye bulging.

Meanwhile, Michiru's Deep Submerge wobbled against the Sleepytime's beam, although her attack pushed the Sleepytime's beam back.

Tied up with VesVes, Minako couldn't do anything. She drew back her beam, and VesVes collapsed facedown from the release of pressure. The beast tamer lifted her head, sputtering sand and dirt, only for a Sleepytime to zap its blue beam onto her head, incinerating her red hair and leaving her nearly bald, save for a few wisps of hair. VesVes screamed, the noise a combination of horror and anger. She lashed the Sleepytime like it could feel pain. Immature, stupid, and brash.

Sailor Venus took her compact hanging from her hip. "Crescent Boomerang!" She threw the compact. It pierced through one, two, three Sleepytimes, wires popping out, electricity surrounding them. The Sleepytimes hung down, like they had lost power, but the Sleepytime holding Plankton didn't loosen its grip.

Sailor Venus flew to Plankton.

"What are you doing?" Sailor Neptune said. "Leave them alone. Aren't they the enemy?"

Venus didn't falter. Plankton may have caused this mess, but he wasn't the enemy.

Minako continued to fly, the compact whistling toward her. She grabbed it, threw it once more. A Sleepytime's beam snapped the compact in half. Minako grit her teeth. She could de-transform and then transform again to regain her compact, but she didn't have time to do it now.

"You look awfully nice," Plankton choked out, hoarse. Trying to talk with a robot? "Too nice to suffocate a little guy like me. Please, have mercy?" His voice cracked, like he was about to cry. Hoping that his pitiful act would work on an unfeeling robot.

A blue beam fired toward Minako. She flitted sideways, the beam splitting the air.

VesVes climbed onto her feet, lassoed Venus' ankle. She thrust downward, smashing Venus onto the ground, in the middle of the Sleepytimes. VesVes dragged Minako close to her, pressed her head into her face.

"I won't give these robots the pleasure of finishing you." VesVes' hot, rotting breath made Minako's eyes water. " _I_ will."

Minako kicked VesVes' abdomen, blowing the wind out of the beast tamer. VesVes shot backward, through an electricity-covered Sleepytime.

The robot exploded.

Crimson and smoke filled Minako's vision, burned Minako. She reached for Plankton, even though VesVes' whip was still wrapped around her ankle, threatening to take her with the beast tamer. Minako had to at least grip Plankton, not leave him at the robots' mercy.

She forced open her leaking eyes, squinted, battling to keep them open in the smoke. A silhouette wriggled in the smoke. There.

Minako seized the squishy figure just as she bounced upward, through the Sleepytime's remnants. Going where VesVes had ended up. Minako brought the figure close to her eyes to see. Plankton.

She looked forward, bringing Plankton close to her so that nothing could harm him further. He was still breathing; Minako could feel the rise and fall of his body through her hand. The two rocketed through the smoke, toward the museum, the smoke no longer encompassing Minako's line of sight.

VesVes was nowhere to be seen.

Where could she have ended up? VesVes was too determined to destroy the Guardians to leave. Unless the explosion was bigger than Minako had believed and VesVes hadn't been able to hang on to her whip. Perhaps she had wound up deeper in Rock Bottom and was trying to claw her way back to the Guardians.

An explosion below rocked the world. The Sleepytime that Michiru was struggling against had been destroyed, and Michiru chased Minako. Sailor Venus crashed through the museum, rocks and chunks of the wall pelting her. Michiru flew in behind her, beside a bald man holding underwear, where a crane had broken through the middle. A naked Patrick was clinched in the crane's grasp, the crane moving this way and that, like it was confused.

The man looked the two up and down. "What." Normal reaction to seeing two women in miniskirts. He sighed. "First that starfish wearing only underwear, now these two human girls wearing only miniskirts in the ocean. Somehow able to breathe. At least the old coot and I have an excuse."

Minako fell facefirst beside the man, nearly crushing Plankton. She glared at Michiru. "You could've at least used your fancy upgraded water powers to cushion my fall. Hell, you should've caught us, damn it."

A faint smile rushed onto Michiru's face. Did she think this was funny? "I'm sorry. Honestly, I wasn't able to muster up the energy in time. Besides, my attacks are called attacks for a reason. They're not designed to cushion anyone's fall or 'catch' them."

Three veins popped onto Minako's forehead. "At least try to catch me with your own two hands."

"More importantly, where's Rei?"

Minako pushed herself up. Indeed, Rei wasn't in the museum.

 _No._ Rei couldn't have been captured. They had to reach Sailor Mars as soon as possible.

Patrick waved. "Minako, Michiru, Mr. Plankton, hi. You made it." His eyes twinkled. "Is today the day you vaporize me, Mr. Plankton?"

Plankton gawked at Patrick. Gawked at Minako. Gawked at Michiru. Gawked at the underwear-holding bald man. His eyes rolled back, and his head hung down. Unconscious. Another apropos reaction to quite a day. Thing was, this situation wasn't the most bizarre one that Minako had been in.

Things were likely going to become much more bizarre very soon.


	29. The Heart's Battle

**Chapter Twenty-nine: The Heart's Battle**

Even though Patrick was pinched in the crane's grasp, hovering near one of his heroes, Barnacle Boy, in the Rock Bottom Museum, the starfish thought of only Rei. If Tiger's Eye was Rei's friend, then he would've saved the Guardian. He might be helping her another way, like taking her out the lab's back end.

Still, doubt niggled at Patrick.

Tiger's Eye seemed trustworthy, calling Patrick an idiot as affectionately as Squidward. But Tiger's Eye had put Rei to sleep, keeping Rei from rescuing Patrick. Strange thing for a friend to do. Unless he thought she looked tired and needed sleep.

Maybe Patrick could leap out of his own dream and then explore, go where Rei and Tiger's Eye were, similar to what SpongeBob had done.

Patrick closed his eyes and fell asleep, head hanging down, forehead flopping forward. Hadn't realized he was tired enough to fall asleep in a blink, perhaps because he'd been having nonstop fun with these robots and the humans for hours.

A white expanse filled his mind, Patrick's favorite kiddy ride, a mechanical horse, appearing in the middle. He jumped on, popped a quarter inside the coin slot. The horse didn't move.

Slid another quarter in. Nothing.

Growling, he jammed in a third quarter. No response. What was going on?

Patrick jabbed his hand into his pocket, filled his hand with coins and thrust all the coins inside the coin slot at the same time. The horse vibrated, smoke billowing from the slot. The ride burst, rocketing Patrick into the air, out of his dream, into the museum. He rolled on the floor beside Barnacle Boy, righting himself, and looked at the crane holding a snoring Patrick. Cool, he'd cloned himself. The scientists on television had been trying to clone stuff for years. Patrick had figured it out in five minutes.

Minako and Michiru were calling his name. Patrick waved his arms. "I'm right here, guys." Ignoring Patrick Number Two, they kept calling his name. He ran to Minako's foot.

Minako's foot.

The statues, the paintings, the humans, even Plankton seemed…bigger. Had Patrick shrunk? If he had, he could make a large pizza last for the rest of his life. Might as well look for some food while saving Rei.

Better yet, maybe he could dream some up. He shut his eyes and visualized pizza and its melty, cheesy deliciousness. Smoke fanned from the sides of his head, where ears would be. No pizza snapped into existence. He couldn't do all that fancy stuff like SpongeBob.

"Patrick…"

"Rei?" Patrick turned in all directions, trying to pinpoint where her voice had come from. No signs of her in the paintings hanging on the wall, behind the statues of fish and humans, near a confused Minako and Michiru, Patrick Number One hanging in the crane, Barnacle Boy croaking like a frog.

Patrick jumped onto Minako's foot, galloped up her leg. She didn't react, speaking to Michiru like she didn't feel his tiny legs scrambling up her shin and thigh.

Leaping onto her shoulder, he yelled in her ear. No reaction. Lightly punched her, his fist tapping her shoulder but having no effect.

"Pat…" Rei's fading voice. She was calling him but not showing him where she was.

He shimmied down Minako's leg. Sprung down the hole the crane had created. Regardless of his hero being near, primed for worship, he had to find Rei.

* * *

With the darkness surrounding her, the despair of failing Patrick crushed Rei.

Tiger's Eye had knocked her unconscious, suspending her rescue efforts. If Rei had had her way, Patrick would be safe and Tiger's Eye, dead. At least one member of Dead Moon would be taken care of.

Rei dreamed of Patrick. She hated to admit it, but he had wormed his way into her heart.

Somehow, when he was first captured, Rei had connected with Patrick telepathically, entering his dreams. Perhaps intruding on others' dreams was part of her powers as Sailor Mars or her psychic ability as a shrine maiden.

However she had joined his dream didn't matter. What mattered was that she'd broken her promise to save him, like her politician father had broken countless promises to her.

The area brightened, and her father appeared at his looming desk, writing Rei letters promising to spend time with her for her birthday but always sending Kaidou, his assistant, instead. Kaidou was there for her, played with her and kept her company, like a big brother. Although he wasn't related to her by blood, Kaidou felt like one of the few family members she had left, after her mother died and her father dumped her at her grandfather's shrine. Her grandfather was supposed to fill the role of being a father since her real father didn't want the responsibility; his career was more important than her.

A television appeared, her father on the screen behind a podium, thanking his aides, his advisors, the public, everyone for helping him win office but Rei and her mother.

Until her father looked through the television, at Rei.

"I don't have a family. Why would I waste time having a family when there's so much work that needs to be done in Japan? My career _is_ my family."

Rei recoiled. She had thought she didn't care much for her father because he didn't care about her, but she did. She wanted him in her life. Nothing could replace her father.

Jealousy of her classmates raged through her. Although businessmen in Japan often didn't leave their job until the boss left, sometimes fathers were able to take the afternoon off to spend with their daughters. Rei's classmates had been surprised and elated to see their fathers come to their school to spend the rest of the day with them.

On the television, Rei's father reached out, holding a bouquet of Casablanca lilies, her favorite flowers. "If I had a daughter, I'm sure these would be her favorite flowers. I would give her these every year for her birthday."

Rei's father was never the one sending those flowers, anyhow—Kaidou was. Kaidou had been at her side since she was a child, especially once Rei's mother passed away.

The dream shifted, showing a casket. A little girl once again, Rei hiccupped, the tears slipping down her cheeks.

She hadn't known that she would lose both parents that day.

Her mother's funeral would be the last day she'd spend with her father. The next day, she would be put in her grandfather's care, to "help her grandfather" with the shrine, as her father explained. Back then, Rei hadn't understood what her father meant.

Now, she knew better, and sadness, anger, grief drowned her.

At the funeral, she looked beside herself. Her father wasn't there. Kaidou wasn't there. No one was.

Rei was alone.

She didn't have many friends. Once her mother died and her father distanced himself from her, she'd isolated herself, shutting herself in her room and reading the flames to see what would happen in the future, carrying a faint hope that the flames would show her father returning one day, quitting his job as a politician to be with Rei.

The dream shifted once more. A little girl again, Rei waited by the mailbox in front of the shrine. Her father had a rare day off from work. He might keep his promise to whisk her off "someplace special" for the weekend, a reward for Rei doing exceptionally well in school, not only earning straight A's, but also the praises of her teachers, who said that Rei was the most insightful, intelligent student in the class, seeing what others didn't, looking deeper than her classmates for the true meaning behind the stories they analyzed. Her father had said that he wanted to hear about her days in school.

Rei waited by the mailbox until, the sun setting over the horizon and dying the world red, her grandfather made her go inside.

Her father never came.

No calls, nothing that weekend. A forgotten appointment with his daughter.

The television appeared, her father saying, "My career is my family."

The television showed him at a fundraising event, grinning and laughing and shaking hands and treating strangers better than he treated Rei.

His career had taken precedent over a weekend with his daughter.

The dream flashed through various times Rei had given her father a chance to be a father. Promises to take Rei out for her birthday, only for Kaidou to come instead, her father nowhere to be found. Promises to pick Rei up after school, only for Rei to be the last one waiting at the school for her dad, telling her classmates that, surely, her father would arrive soon, but her father never arriving, leaving Rei to walk home alone again.

When her father kept breaking these promises, she realized that she couldn't trust anyone but herself.

"You can't even trust these so-called friends." Tiger's Eye's voice sounded like it was projecting from above. Usagi, Ami, Makoto, Minako appeared. "Why help them? They'll turn their backs on you in a minute. Help only yourself."

Was supporting her friends stupid?

At the Poseidome, when she'd tried to catch Robo-Sandy with her bare hands, Rei had had a brief thought about whether doing things like her friends was stupid. Sure, Patrick did things that were blatantly stupid and that Rei didn't want any parts of, but she found herself becoming more and more like him. Wasn't sure if that was good or not.

An image rippled into Rei's dream, of Rei, inside the Poseidome with the other Guardians, lifting Robo-Sandy out of the Poseidome by herself, her friends laughing and pointing and calling her foolish for thinking that they'd help her, that it was smart to save them when they'd never save her. That it was smart for her to trust anyone, especially after her father had broken hundreds of promises to her.

"Just stay alone." Tiger's Eye had taken over her dreams, trying to turn her against her friends. Rei couldn't let what one person did to her cripple her whole life.

"You're underestimating me, bastard." Rei pushed, and Robo-Sandy creaked backward. "I'm stronger than I was back then. I trust my friends." She threw Robo-Sandy out of the Poseidome, and the Poseidome and its audience shattered, leaving Rei in the white expanse once more. "You may be trying to control my own dreams, but in the end, I'm the only one who can change what happens."

Her friends remained yards away from her, still laughing at her, mocking her. She cringed at the ache ripping through her. They were supposed to support her in everything she did.

Tiger's Eye was masterminding her dreams. She had to destroy him.

He appeared to her, a beacon shining more brightly than the whiteness. "Rei Hino, your dreams are so pure. Like your pure, burning, passionate heart. I want to be pure like you. You may not be able to trust your friends, but you can trust me."

Rei scowled. "You must think I'm an idiot."

"On the contraire, I don't." He walked toward her. "I think you're one of the smartest people I've ever met."

Rei tried to raise her hand, to summon the flames, but her arms were glued to her sides. She couldn't get the fire swirling inside her, make it explode. Couldn't move her legs.

Tiger's Eye stepped so close to her that his breath warmed her cheeks, and his golden hair caressed her shoulders. His brown eyes specked with gray deepened his gaze, like he could see into Rei's soul. A blush radiated from her cheeks. His breath quickened as he parted his mouth to hers. She found herself opening her mouth, too.

"I'm the only one you can trust," he breathed into her mouth. "Not your father. Not his assistant. Not your friends. Not your grandfather. Only me." While her friends laughed, when her father left, Tiger's Eye was there.

"That's right, Rei. Only me."

They kissed, kept kissing, Rei taking all of him in, he taking all of her in, like a true relationship should be, not a string of forgotten, broken promises.

She broke from him to say, "I think I'm falling in love with you."

A grin split his face, but he was handsome nonetheless. "I think I am, too." He pressed against her, her Guardian's uniform fading, leaving her in her school uniform. Rei didn't need to be a Guardian, protecting people who didn't care about her, who wouldn't protect her. Tiger's Eye would be her guardian. He'd never break any of his promises.

Rei's breath hitched, and she pushed away from him once more. She had broken her promise to Patrick. How could she have the nerve to complain about others when she broke her promises, too?

Tiger's Eye wiped a tear from her cheeks. "You can't worry about that. Besides, if everyone else does it, then it's okay for you to break your own promises."

A small part of Rei believed that to be twisted logic, but Tiger's Eye, with his piercing greyish brown eyes that saw all, his tall, muscular body that could shield her from everything, made most of her think that he was right.

"I'll keep my promises to you. Why keep promises to people who've broken them so many times?" He bared his fangs. "Not even Kaidou keeps his promises. He was supposed to save himself for you, to marry you, but he didn't." Over Tiger's Eye shoulder, the whiteness fizzled, showing a bouquet of Casablanca lilies for Rei laying on a table, where Kaidou and his fiancée kissed next to it, Kaidou pushing his fiancée beside the bouquet, knocking the flowers onto the floor. "When he was supposed to be thinking about you, what to get you for your birthday, he was with her instead. Everything he told you about waiting for you to become older, that you were as beautiful as your mother, was a lie. He complimented you, sent you gifts, said those things because your father made him. Because you're a powerful politician's daughter, and he wants to rise in the world of politics himself."

Kaidou tore off the woman's clothes. The woman turned her head, looking at Rei.

She looked eerily similar to her mother.

"You were never good enough for him, Rei." Tiger's Eye put a finger to her chin, tipping her head so that she looked him in his eyes. "Only I am."

Rei's vision blurred. Kaidou had always said that Rei was growing as beautiful as her mother. When her mother died, he'd comforted Rei. Meanwhile, her father buried himself more into his work, used her mother's passing as an excuse to throw himself deeper into politics.

The dream showed Kaidou standing over her mother's open casket. Kaidou bent, kissed Rei's mother on her lips.

Kaidou hovered just above her mother's lips, whispering, "I always loved you. I wish we could've been together instead." He glanced at a five-year-old Rei, people surrounding her, offering words of comfort. "Maybe when your daughter gets older…"

Tiger's Eye came into focus in front of Rei. "You were always too young for him. Never good enough. Never perfect, like your mother." He cocked his head. "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you good enough for him? Do you use your lost love to him as an excuse for your saying you hate all men?"

Rei flinched. "I, I hate men because of my father. Not because of Kaidou. He's never hurt me."

"Yes, he did."

The dream rippled back to Kaidou tonguing the inside of her mother's mouth.

"He's forgotten about you. He has the real thing, not a cheap imitation who will never live up to her mother." Tiger's Eye smirked. "But you have me. You can trust me, Rei, because I've always been there for you. Your friends left you. Patrick left you in the tunnel by yourself, not trying to save you. Your friends are doing their own thing right now, not worrying about you. Like your father, they've forgotten about you. They have more important things to do than save you."

Sand Mountain stretched before her, Usagi and Mamoru kissing on its peak, Sandy riding a purple board, whisking down a slope, Haruka racing beside the squirrel on a beige board. Makoto struggled on her own board, tripping over a rock and falling on her face, sliding down the slope faster than Haruka and Sandy and ending up in the lead.

They didn't mention Rei's name. Weren't thinking about Rei. Especially since Usagi and Mamoru had inevitably reconciled and Sandy, Makoto, and Haruka had bonded. No reason to include Rei.

The dream showed not only Rei's "friends" having fun on Sand Mountain without her, but also Ami and Setsuna studying a funnel-shaped machine in some cave—the Mermalair—Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, and SpongeBob rolling a giant ball down a slide, Mermaid Man snoring in a EZ chair, the television blaring fuzz in the background.

Again the dream showed Rock Bottom, Michiru and Minako, of all people, sitting on the edge of a cliff and talking. Patrick lay on his back beside them, asleep, drool leaking from his mouth.

Even though Rei couldn't hear them, she didn't need to. They weren't talking about her.

Why should they be concerned about Rei? They got along better without Rei than they had with her. All Rei did was tear people apart with her icy attitude, her blunt speech, her abhorrent personality.

Tiger's Eye sharpened in front of her. "They may hate you, but I don't. You're precious to me, Rei. I love you for who you are. How you treasure those close to you, who genuinely love you. Like me."

Tiger's Eye may be acting like her lover, but he was the enemy. Rei shoved Tiger's Eye, and he staggered backward, eyes wide, like he couldn't believe she could fall out of his spell. "I won't let you take advantage of me." She held her hands toward him. "I'll incinerate you for manipulating my dreams and trying to turn me against my friends."

No fire came forth.

The fire was gone, even though, outside her dreams, the fire would be bursting, unable to be caged.

She gaped at her hands. "What's going on?"

Tiger's Eye faded. Mirrors spread throughout, surrounding Rei but not reflecting her. The mirror directly in front of her cracked. Rei readied herself. She might not be able to use her Guardian powers, but she could still kick and disperse evil spirits with her high heels.

The mirror shattered, and a miniature version of herself floated out from where the mirror had been.

"Wh-what?"

Mini-Rei grinned. "Hi, there." Like a fairy, she zipped into Rei's face, poking a finger to it. "I'm you. Nice to meet you, me." She giggled. "Welcome to the Mirror House."

Rei couldn't help but gawk. She had no words.

Mini-Rei floated back to one of the mirrors. "These mirrors show your inner self. Your true self. No tricks or deceptions in these mirrors." She spread her arms, and several versions of Rei were reflected in each. In one, an elementary school-aged Rei stood on the outskirts of a playground, in the shadows of an oak tree, watching her classmates play. No one bothered to invite her to play with them.

 _No._

In another mirror, a preteen Rei standing at the back of a crowd watched her father give a speech at a park, her father having forgotten her again, not mentioning her or her mother in his speech. Not that he had given them opportunities to support him, pretending they'd never existed.

 _No._

In a third mirror, Rei huddled in the corner of Usagi's room, Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Minako talking about boys and television and school and other meaningless things instead of planning their next steps as Guardians.

In a fourth, Sailor Mars used her flames to destroy a youma, the rest of the Guardians watching, not doing anything to help. She had hefted all the burden yet again.

"None of this is true." Rei spread her arms, energy shaped into paper reading, "Evil Spirits, Begone!" written upon it. "Leave me alone." She threw the energy, and Mini-Rei disappeared, reappearing in a different spot, the energy passing through the hole where the mirror had been broken.

Mini-Rei threw her head back, cackling. "All of it's true. You always felt left out. From taking care of your grandfather to taking care of your so-called friends, the burden crushed you to the point where you thought that you'd be better off without your 'friends' or anyone else in your life. Except someone who you can mooch off of."

Rei did want companionship with someone who could take care of her. She couldn't always be the strong one, or else the burden would flatten her.

"It's only a matter of time until you break," Mini-Rei said. "No one can handle everything by themselves. That's why you need a lover who'll take care of you." Tiger's Eye reappeared beside Mini-Rei. "Like this guy. He's already confessed his love for you. Forget working at the shrine and taking care of some useless geezer old man. Let Tiger's Eye take you away."

Lacing his hands behind his back, Tiger's Eye walked toward her, with his greyish brown eyes that Rei could lose herself in.

Like she was losing herself now.

She wanted to lose herself. Wanted to be someone else. Wanted to be away from the shrine, to live peacefully, staying home, letting someone else take care of her while she concerned herself with her own happiness, hiding behind a façade of not caring about others so that she wouldn't have to take care of them, so that they didn't take advantage of her.

Why was she lying to herself?

The real reason that she'd isolated herself was that she was afraid of betrayal, like her father had left her. She never huddled by herself in the playground but involved herself with others, cheering them on from the sidelines or inserting herself in their games. Or handing out charms or doing readings for them, something to show who she was as a person. Her classmates had invited her to play with them. Even when she didn't want to, she joined them because she didn't want to be alone. Until Usagi became friends with her, she'd harbored a distrust of everyone and emotionally distanced herself so she wouldn't be broken again.

Her father invited her to his speeches, asking her to stand by his side. She thought it to be a political ploy until, in one of his letters, her father had written that he wanted others to see how beautiful she had grown both inside and out. At his next speech, Rei had stood by his side. Their relationship hadn't been mended completely, but they'd become closer that day.

At Usagi's house, Rei had giggled and laughed at her friends' shenanigans at school, like Usagi falling asleep and the teacher jolting her awake by slamming a book on her desk. When her friends talked about the strange world of television, Rei was engaged.

Rei glowered. She didn't need Tiger's Eye falsifying her memories, tearing her away from her friends, the people she held dearly.

"Rei!"

Rei looked. It couldn't be…

From behind her, a crane broke through one of the mirrors, holding Patrick. "I'm comin' for ya, Rei, like you came for me."

Tiger's Eye darkened. "What the hell are you doing here?" His voice sounded like the rumbles of thunder before a storm. "How did you even get here, as stupid as you are?"

Patrick blinked. "Isn't Tiger's Eye a friend?"

"Of course," Tiger's Eye said as Rei said, "No, he isn't. Stop him."

He tapped his chin. "I don't even know how I got here. I was just thinking about how you were doing, Rei, and then next thing I knew, I was here. Besides, I thought Tiger's Eye was helping you earlier."

"He's torturing me." Rei pointed at Mini-Rei flying near her. "This thing is, too."

"That thing looks like you. Can you clone yourself, too?"

When Patrick had first arrived, Rei was glad. Now, with his cinderblock-thick head, she wasn't so sure.

"But y'know what, Rei? Since you proved to me that you're not Manray, I believe everything you say. I trust you completely."

Warmth spread through Rei, and she found herself smiling. No matter what mistakes Patrick made, no matter how stupid he was, his heart was in the right place, and he always did the right thing in the end.

She trusted him, too.

"I needed to get through the mirror," Patrick said, "so I imagined this crane, and it popped up. But now I can't get out. Help me get outta this crane, and I can help you better."

Rei threw an energy-filled parchment, slicing the crane's neck, the pincer opening and dropping Patrick onto his feet. The starfish caught the head of the crane. The other half of the crane slammed onto the ground. Patrick hurled the crane's pincer toward Tiger's Eye and Mini-Rei.

"You were hurting Rei," Patrick told Tiger's Eye. "Or else you would've let her go, and you wouldn't have kept her from saving me."

So Patrick _had_ understood what was happening. Or he was becoming better at discerning who their enemies were and understanding their actions.

Tiger's Eye morphed into a tiger and bounded into the distance. The only powers he had were running and lying.

Mini-Rei flitted about, searching for an escape route.

The fire was back. She needed others. Couldn't do anything without them.

Time to use her fire to help Patrick, to make sure that Tiger's Eye and Mini-Rei couldn't manipulate anyone else. The fire leaped inside of her, and her sailor suit slid over her school uniform. "Mars Snake Fire!" Fire burst forth from her hands, exploded onto the crane, heating it so that it reddened, smoking. The crane slammed into Tiger's Eye and Mini-Rei, propelling both backward, their bodies melting and dripping onto the floor, leaving a trail of wax. All at once, the mirrors shattered, leaving Rei and Patrick in the underground area of Rock Bottom, where Tiger's Eye had put Rei to sleep.

Thanks to Patrick, Rei's nightmare had ended.

* * *

Rei carried Patrick, which was no small feat, toward the opening leading to Rock Bottom's museum.

"I'm so glad you came for me, Patrick," Rei said, arms shaking from strain. "Not forgetting about me."

"Why would I? Besides, you didn't forget about me."

She couldn't stop smiling. "Yeah, well, how could I forget someone like you?"

"I dunno. How?"

They reached the surface. Rei gladly put Patrick down and then hugged him, not caring that she hated hugs, who was watching, risking embarrassing herself in front of Michiru, her mentor, and destroying her reputation as an ice princess to Minako.

"Thanks for saving me, Patrick. I…I couldn't have gotten through that trap without you."

"You came and helped me through my dream. I figured I'd help you through yours."

Somehow, Rei and Patrick had some sort of psychic link that connected them. Perhaps they were closer than Rei had originally believed.

"Hey, shouldn't you have gotten new powers and looked exactly the same, like Minako did?"

A rare, perceptive statement from Patrick. Rei had thought that she learned something about herself, developed enough to power-up like Sailor Venus had. Maybe the universe thought she wasn't ready yet. "I'm sure I'll get it soon, with your help."

She let Patrick go. Minako was grinning, and Michiru smiled softly. A smile of approval.

"I'm glad you all made it back," Michiru said. "We were worried about you."

"You have to explain what happened," Minako said. "How'd Patrick, of all people, melt the Queen of Ice?"

No need to get annoyed at her friend. "Patrick and I are closer than we think."

"I wanted to help her, so I fell asleep and popped into her dream," Patrick said.

Minako's expression blanked. Michiru hid her confusion behind a wall of stoicism. No matter how perfect Michiru seemed, she had to be confused.

Rei shrugged. "I don't quite understand it, either." She didn't much care about how it happened. Once, she'd believed that she would never get along with the starfish. The more time she spent with him, the more he became one of her…allies. No, more than an ally.

Her friend.


	30. A Developed Taste

**Chapter Thirty: A Developed Taste**

Phobos and Deimos had been behaving mysteriously since Rei had gone missing.

Sitting on Hikawa Shrine's steps, Rei's grandfather watched the crows circle each other in the sky, cawing like they did at all hours of the day. They never stayed near the temple much, but they left more often now that Rei had vanished. Searching for her?

Rei's grandfather had no idea where Rei had disappeared to. It wasn't like her to be away this long without telling him where she was going. Rei was a mysterious young woman, preferring to stay at the shrine and read the flames to going out, unless she went with her core group of friends. Before Rei had met them, she went to school and returned to the shrine, taking her duties as a maiden so seriously that her grandfather encouraged her to leave and talk with her friends at school. But Rei said she didn't have or need any friends, and she hated men, so dating was out of the question.

Her grandfather had looked for Rei, asking if anyone had seen her. No one had.

She'd left without taking anything. How was it possible for someone to up and go without leaving clues?

Should Rei's grandfather involve her father? He was a powerful politician who could pull some strings in the police department to make sure the authorities prioritized finding Rei. Her disappearance would become a media spectacle, something that her father preferred to avoid. Anyhow, Rei's father didn't much bother with Rei, treated her more like a duty, a nuisance than a daughter. He'd believe Rei's disappearance more damaging to his own reputation than to Rei herself.

Rei's grandfather entered the house beside the shrine, where a phone hung on the wall, to call her father, regardless of her father's feelings. They had to find his missing daughter.

Phobos and Deimos cawed in unison.

He prayed that they would.

* * *

Michiru loved museums, filled with art created by famous dead artists and unknown artists who wouldn't become famous until they died, depicting their interpretations of the world in sculptures and paintings. Rock Bottom's museum would be a sight to see, so much so that even the museum-hating Haruka ("They're too slow, Michiru") would be interested.

The road to the museum had been arduous. They'd made it, but without Rei.

Hanging in the crane in the middle of the museum, Patrick had explained that a guy who called himself Tiger's Eye, even though he wasn't an eye at all, had kept Rei behind, putting her to sleep. Maybe to play with Rei, draw doodles on her face while she slept. The starfish muttered something about feeling Rei and then fell asleep. Even stranger, he and the crane faded.

Michiru, Minako, and Barnacle Boy looked around, called Patrick's name. Several minutes later, Rei and Patrick appeared near the Guardians and Barnacle Boy. Rei, who allegedly despised being touched, embraced Patrick.

"Rei-chan!" Minako hugged Rei, the Guardian of Flames not protesting. Michiru smiled. Rei was finally understanding what was truly important. "You're back. Thank goodness."

"Thanks to Patrick. I couldn't have gotten through Tiger's Eye's trap without him." She gently released herself from Minako. "Speaking of Tiger's Eye, I killed him while he was manipulating my dreams."

Good to hear that the Dead Moon Circus' hallucinations could be turned against them.

Plankton's head snapped up, unconscious no more. "Dead?" Plankton backed away.

Michiru stepped behind Plankton, blocking his path to the exit. "You didn't align yourself with very good people."

He gulped. "Well, that, that might not be the case. They could've been nice. You just didn't give them the chance to prove that they were."

"We've been playing this game much longer than you," Minako said. "We know what we're talking about."

"You'll be safe with us," Michiru said. "We have no reason to hurt you." _Yet._ Many people were surprised to discover Michiru's ruthless side, the side she'd shown when Sailor Saturn threatened to destroy the world, wanting to kill the preteen. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made. To save the world, Michiru would sacrifice herself in a heartbeat.

Plankton crossed his arms. "I can get through Rock Bottom without you. Besides, I trust VesVes." He nodded twice, as if the more times he nodded, the more his statement would become true. "Unless you need me."

He would be more of a hindrance than an asset, but better to keep him with them than to let him return to VesVes; the beast tamer might kill him without a thought.

"There must be a reason why they're keeping you alive." Minako crouched to his level. "What do you know that we don't?"

Plankton rattled his fist in her face. "I may be afraid of you, but I know that I have an advantage, and I will use that advantage to my advantage by not giving you an advantage by telling you what I know, which is nothing, and not telling VesVes _nothing_."

"Can you repeat that, please, my overlord?" Patrick said.

Plankton's eye brightened. "Ooh, overlord. Overlord Plankton. Plankton the Overlord. Even better than master."

"Hey," Minako barked. "Just because you're small and pitiful doesn't mean I'm going to have mercy on you." She ground out, "What. Do. You. Know," poking her face toward Plankton with each syllable, knocking him onto the floor. Gaping, Barnacle Boy watched, muttered that it was the weirdest night he was having.

"N-nothing." Plankton scrambled backward on all-fours. "I offered to show them around Bikini Bottom to give them a fighting chance against you all. I don't know what kind of beef you have with one another, but it's none of my business, and I don't want to get involved unless that beef will benefit me. And when I do determine that it'll benefit me, then I'll get involved and manipulate you so much, you won't know what's happening." He chuckled, rubbing his hands. "And then I, Sheldon J. Plankton, will command two armies and wield all the power."

"Whatever beef you guys are having," Patrick said, "can I have some, too?"

Minako jabbed a finger into Plankton's torso.

"Whoof!" Plankton grunted.

"Stay on track. What do you know?"

"ThatonlyIcancommandtherobots," Plankton jumbled out, his words almost incoherent in his fear. He may lack common sense, but he didn't lack survival instincts. Confronted by humans with superpowers, he folded.

"What? And slower this time."

"I-I'm the only one who can command the robots. Once the Duplicatotron is switched to 'Obey,' the robots will obey only I, Plankton."

"And the Dead Moon Circus was going to use the robots against us," Michiru said.

Plankton nodded.

Minako straightened. "Smart deal."

Rei watched Michiru carefully, studying her. Rei idolized Michiru when there was no reason to, when Rei did amazing things by herself.

Rei tried not to embarrass herself around Michiru and mimic her role model by remaining quiet, stoic, "elegant." Rei didn't need to copy Michiru's every move. Perhaps Michiru could learn from Rei.

"They didn't tell you anything about what they're searching for?" Michiru said.

Plankton glanced sideways.

The side of Michiru's mouth lifted. "Playing both sides could help you."

"Yes. Yes, that makes sense." He cleared his throat. "They're looking for the Golden Crystal."

Michiru raised an eyebrow at Minako and Rei, both of whom shrugged.

"I don't know what it is, either. They never told me."

"You never asked?"

Plankton's expression blanked. "No…" He drew the word out.

Rei scoffed. "Genius."

Not indicating that he heard Rei, Plankton tapped his fingers. "So, you think I'm safer with you, eh? Well, I, Plankton, the diabolical strategist, agree. A strategic alliance that VesVes and the others will never predict. The enemy of my enemy is my friend of the friend."

A wind blew through the museum.

"That doesn't make any sense," Rei said.

Michiru faced forward. Paintings hung on almost every corner of the wall, and statues populated the floor. She'd love to examine the paintings, what the sea creatures considered art. Was their version of art much different than humans'?

Ever since Michiru had arrived, she felt at home. Like she could command these sea creatures if she wanted. She still glowed from the ocean's power, likely hadn't unlocked all the power yet. She could stay and lord over the ocean for the rest of her days, but her mission was to protect Sailor Moon, not sea creatures.

Regardless, Michiru wasn't sure what to make of her time in Bikini Bottom. Even though the younger Guardians had told her and the Outer Guardians about Bikini Bottom's mannerisms, having them explained and living them out were completely different, with the bus turning straight down a cliff, a foreign language in which people laced English with blowing raspberries, talking dirt, and quirky but deadly robots.

Despite her powers, the fish didn't favor her. She'd love to give her fellow Guardians another leg up over these robots.

Now it was time to figure out how to move forward, find VesVes before she wrecked more havoc upon Rock Bottom.

"Excuse me." Barnacle Boy's black eyes reddened. "I don't know what you're doing here, but I have a deep distrust of any humans who come down here."

Minako blinked. "Even though you're human yourself?"

" _Especially_ because I'm human myself, not to mention your outfits."

"I'm starting to think we should change our uniform. For some reason, no one trusts girls in sailor suits."

"I'll vaporize you in one fell swoop with my _Sulfur Vision."_ His voice boomed with the announcement of his attack, like the Guardians' voices did when they announced their attacks. Michiru readied herself. Even though Barnacle Boy was elderly, his power could rival the Dead Moon Circus'. Michiru did not want to hurt an old man, no matter how powerful he was.

Minako raised her hands. "Wait, before you melt us into ashes, at least let us explain our side of the story."

"What story?" Barnacle Boy's eyes deepened into crimson. "The only story I see is you destroying Bikini Bottom."

"But Patrick trusts us. He saved one of us."

"The starfish's gullible."

Rei turned to Patrick. "Patrick, get him to stop."

Patrick jumped up and down, clapping his hands. "Yay. I get to watch Sulfur Vision vaporize you guys. I've never seen it in real life."

"Patrick, _please._ "

The starfish made no moves to help the Guardians. Two thin red beams snaked from each of Barnacle Boy's eyes, through his mask, not stretching farther than three inches. "Hold on. I just need to get a little closer." He stepped toward the Guardians. The Guardians stepped back. He stepped toward the Guardians. The Guardians stepped back. He stepped toward the Guardians. The Guardians stepped back.

Creases folded Barnacle Boy's forehead. "You'll run out of room to move sometime, you…" He stepped toward the Guardians. The Guardians took to the air.

"Are we really wasting time doing this?" Rei said.

Patrick stomped on the floor. "Aw, come on. Couldn't you let him vaporize you? For me?"

Michiru turned toward the other side of the museum. "All we have to do is get through this museum. It'd be ironic of any of the missing art pieces was in here, so I think we should keep going."

"I actually agree." A grin grew onto Minako's face. "And Rei always agrees with the almighty Michiru."

Scarlet blossomed on Rei's cheeks. "Not every time."

"Oh, yes, you do."

Minako, embarrassing Rei in front of her role model. How cruel.

Barnacle Boy crossed his arms. "All right. Prove to me that you're trustworthy by clearing out the robots from this museum."

Security lasers crisscrossed through the museum. On the floor stood glass encasing statues and other exhibits, round floating machines transmitting electricity atop. Buttons were lined throughout the museum.

"How'd the robots get past the security system?" Rei said.

"And past you?" Patrick gazed at Barnacle Boy with plate-shaped eyes. "You're the most powerful person in Bikini Bottom, as you showed with your devastating Sulfur Vision."

Barnacle Boy groaned. "I may work security here, but those darn robots had already made their way in here by the time my shift started. No one bothered to try destroying them but had the courtesy to leave me with this mess instead. They put the security system on and, of course, those robots are immune to our security measures." He balled his hands. "Why, if I were a few decades younger…"

Perhaps his powers had weakened due to old age. Hopefully, one of the side effects of being a Guardian was old age never weakening Sailor Neptune's powers. In his prime, Barnacle Boy must've been powerful. Now, he was shriveling up before Michiru's eyes.

Barnacle Boy sighed. "I don't have the stamina to move like I used to. My darn knees creak now."

The color drained from Minako. "Creak?" A shudder rocked her. "Oh, my goodness. That's awful." Could almost hear the prayers she was making, asking all the gods for her knees to never creak.

"You have to do a lot of running and jumping to press the buttons that deactivate the security system. If you manage to deactivate it, not only is there a Golden Spatula in it for you, but you'll also be able to destroy all the robots in this museum. If the robots take over the museum and destroy it, I'll lose this job, I won't be able to pay for Shady Shoals, robots'll destroy Shady Shoals and other rest homes, and I'll have to move back in with my son and his nagging wife and their four screaming kids."

The Guardians and Patrick exchanged looks.

"Yay, I'm looking at you all now," Patrick said. "I still don't understand why we look at each other sometimes, though."

From the floor, Plankton peered up at them. They should take him, too.

"Let's take care of the robots," Minako said. "Just to be clear, we aren't only doing this to prove we're trustworthy to another human. We're trying to find the robots' sources. There could be more of those duplicating machines in this museum."

"I thought that we'd be able to go straight through this museum, but that won't be the case." A part of Michiru was glad to have a chance to look at the…unique paintings of real-life squirrels chowing down on pecan pies, cheeks stuffed; SpongeBob wearing pants that were too high, riding up his backside and reaching his rosy cheeks; Squidward twisting his face into nightmarish expressions. Who were the artists responsible for these paintings?

"I'll carry my future overlord." Patrick swept up Plankton.

"Not only _your_ future overlord," Plankton said, "but every puny creature on this plan—" The starfish stuffed him in his shorts' pocket, muffling his voice.

Rei rubbed her head. "Thank goodness. He's so loud to be so small."

"He probably has to be," Michiru said, "or no one'll notice him."

Minako flew toward the first button. Barnacle Boy reached toward her. "Wait, the security system—"

One of the floating machines lifted its stubby arm, aiming its electricity at Minako, frying her in the air, crisping her suit, her shoes, her bow, her hair. She flew backward, away from the machine before it could zap her again, hovered near a wall at the other end.

"Mars Snake Fire!" The flames slithered from Rei's hand, piercing and making the machine explode, the electricity stopping. The fire kept going and scorched one of the paintings. Minako coughed smoke, her hair sticking out in all directions.

"It, it can detect motion," Barnacle Boy finished.

"Thanks for letting me know." Minako coughed once more. "I love finding these things out after I get hurt."

"Are you okay?" Rei said.

"Listen, if I can survive Queen Beryl, Wiseman, Mistress 9, and hundreds of other bad guys, I can survive a little electricity."

Michiru's hair flowed upward, more energy channeling about her. "I can destroy these machines in one fell swoop." Paused. "Actually, I'd better hold off on my attacks. I'm afraid I'll accidentally destroy some parts of the museum."

Barnacle Boy glared. "Like your friend almost destroyed one of the paintings?"

Rei blushed deeper than she had before. "It was an accident." A meek response from the Guardian of War, the one who was supposed to be one of the most passionate among the Guardians.

Michiru squared her expression at Rei. Sailor Mars needed to be more confident in herself. Michiru wasn't sure if, since she was around, Rei was behaving like a doormat, but Michiru didn't want to embarrass Rei more by calling her out.

Almost.

"You've got to stand up for yourself, Rei," Michiru said. Rei's mouth parted, eyes wide like a puppy's, the puppy begging to be petted and told that everything was okay, that she was a special snowflake. "People will have no problem walking all over you if you don't." She scowled. "You younger Guardians can be so needy sometimes."

Minako darkened. "You older Guardians have no problem being bitches all the time."

Peeking out from Patrick's pocket, Plankton's eye bulged. "Shots fired. Take cover." Patrick covered his mouth, eyes growing as wide as boiled eggs.

Barnacle Boy stepped between the Guardians. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Go fight somewhere else where there isn't delicate merchandise. I don't care if you blow each other up, but you're not going to blow up the museum right along with yourselves."

"I don't regret what I said," Michiru said.

"Neither do I," Minako said.

They glowered at each other. Michiru usually didn't lose her temper. Perhaps she felt some sort of protective instinct toward Rei, wanted to teach her to stand up for herself.

Rei pursed her lips. "We'd better get going." Just like that, the earlier hurt from Michiru seemed to have faded. Tough love did work.

Rei stepped to the edge of the platform on which they stood, the one that led to the entrance. She jumped onto one of the exhibit cases, above which one of the machines turned, spinning electricity around the case. Jumping once more, she kicked the machine, breaking it.

Patrick pumped a fist into the air. "All right, Rei."

Without hesitating, Rei jumped to the next case, this one closer to the wall, where a button protruded. The machine above shot out electricity, but Rei flew above, the electricity zapping the case. The machine turned toward Rei, shooting electricity once more. Rei flitted sideways, dodging.

Rei charged toward the machine, determined to impress Michiru. Depending on how recklessly Rei behaved, could be either good or bad.

The machine jetted out electricity, electrocuting Rei. She writhed but controlled herself enough to reach toward her tiara. Ambition at its finest.

"Rei-chan!" Minako unhooked her Love Whip from her skirt, lassoed the machine and threw it into the ceiling, where it shattered, its remnants raining into the security system. The heat from its remains convinced the security system that intruders were roaming about, stealing valuable art. Nearly blinding red lights flashed throughout the museum.

The lights were reflected in Patrick's black eyes. "Ooh, pretty colors." He plopped onto the floor. "Let's stay and watch the fireworks."

Minako tugged Patrick's shoulder, trying to hoist him onto his feet but not being strong enough. "No, no, we have to move."

Michiru turned toward Barnacle Boy. "What happens if the security system is tripped?"

Barnacle Boy was halfway out the exit. "Terrible things." He disappeared through the exit. Leaving the Guardians to fend for themselves against these "terrible things."

Patrick poked his head through the exit. "Wait, Barnacle Boy. You're a hero. You're not s'posed to get scared."

Rei, who had stopped writhing, hovered in the air. "Looks like the robots'll be the least of our worries."

Above, a Monsoon's head spun in 360 degrees, arms and legs outstretched, a mechanical screaming noise that sounded like tin echoing.

"I'm with Barnacle Boy." Plankton wormed his way out of Patrick's pocket and jumped out, holding his nose. Michiru held her hand below, catching him.

"You're coming with us." She plucked him into Patrick's pocket.

He poked his head out. "But I'm an innocent bystander."

"None of this would've happened in the first place if it wasn't for you," Minako said.

The security system wouldn't have been activated in the first place if it wasn't for Minako, but it wasn't the time to anger anyone else.

"I've tripped security systems before down here, and it's never a pleasant experience." Of course she had. Minako pointed toward the exit at the opposite end. "Let's get out of here. We can come back for the robots once the security turns off."

The robots were swarming toward the exit, the Monsoons and Chucks shoving one another. Fodders, Sleepytimes (their sirens also going off, creating a cacophony of sirens that made Michiru want to plug her ears), and Bomb-Bots, Fodder-sized robots that resembled bombs, wheeled about, none of the flying robots trying to whisk the ground-bound ones to safety. Some of the ground-bound robots jumped toward the chandeliers that looked like tires, fewer reaching the top of the chandeliers while others smashed on the floor. Several Sleepytimes zapped the air, angry at having been awakened.

Rei bit her lip. "If even the robots are scared…

"They'll probably destroy themselves," Minako said. "We should focus on getting ourselves out of here before something more absurd than what we've already witnessed happens."

" _But_ we should destroy the robots on our way out," Michiru said. "Not to argue with you, but to kill two birds with one stone."

Minako stared at Michiru for a beat and then nodded. "Makes sense." Thank goodness her pride hadn't gotten in the way.

"Yay, I get to be carried again," Patrick said.

"Who, who will have the honor of carrying Patrick?" Rei said.

"I can carry him with my own attack. Deep Submerge!" Waves rushed from Michiru's hands, propped Patrick up, Plankton hollering. The wave rolled toward the exit, Patrick cheering atop, Plankton's holler becoming louder.

The Monsoons and Chucks stopped their flight toward the exit, faced Patrick, the Monsoons raising their fingers to press the buttons on their remote controls, the Chucks lifting their water missiles.

The museum rumbled, like an earthquake was rolling beneath it. The floor opened, swallowing several robots who were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. From the floor, two giant stone fins slammed on either side of the opening. Pushed up, revealing a stone head of a flounder.

The ceiling yawned open. An anchor quadruple the size of a normal one dropped onto the stone fish's head, knocking the fish to the floor. A chain hung from the ceiling, holding up and swinging the anchor back and forth, the anchor's trajectory covering the length of the museum. The Guardians flew backward, the anchor splitting through Michiru's wave, nearing Patrick and Plankton. Not comprehending the danger he was in, the starfish squealed in delight, waving his arms like a kid on a roller coaster.

Rei flew toward Patrick and, by extension, Plankton, who was stashed in Patrick's pocket. Just before the anchor could cleave Patrick in two, Rei tackled Patrick, lifting and carrying him. The anchor brushed her arm, enough to spin Rei onto the floor, but she held fast to Patrick. She and Patrick tumbled, stopping near the giant fish.

The fish locked its eyes on Rei and Patrick and reached, roaring. Michiru redirected her wave, engulfing its fins, making the fish recoil. Meanwhile, Minako lassoed Rei and Patrick, drawing them toward her, the anchor threatening to slam into them.

Rei stared at the anchor. Michiru could almost see the gears turning in Rei's head as she tried to figure out how to stop the anchor. Rei was no longer focused on trying to impress her mentor, but on saving her friends.

Rei had forgotten herself and lived for others. The best trait that anyone could have.

She hadn't gotten that trait from Michiru. Michiru hadn't shown Rei anything.

All Rei's attacks could do were heat and melt things. The anchor would keep swinging as it was heated, hurting Rei, Patrick, and Plankton more upon impact. As far as Michiru knew, Rei didn't have any attacks that could cut things.

Rei took off her tiara. Could it slice through an anchor?

"Don't do it, Rei-chan," Minako said.

Rei threw her tiara anyhow. A glare gleamed off the tiara, blinding Michiru. Metal clunked onto the floor, glass shattering.

When Michiru opened her eyes, the anchor and, under it, the stone fish lay on the floor, the fish's eyes blank.

With only her tiara, Rei had defeated the stone fish. Impressive.

Rei hovered beside Minako, and Patrick stood on a tire-shaped chandelier. Safe.

Water missiles whistled past Michiru.

The robots remained. Not safe yet.

One missile exploded upon the stone fish. The fish's eyes rolled, revealing its pupils. It was still alive.

It lifted the anchor above its head and then bounced onto its feet, crushing several statues, aiming the anchor at the group. Michiru had drawn the wave to her. Hoisting Patrick by the arm, Rei whisked herself, Plankton, and Patrick to a platform to the side. Placed Patrick and Plankton onto the floor.

The fish charged toward Michiru and Minako, lifting the anchor. Either about to hurl the anchor or carve the group with it.

"Don't move." Rei flew to Michiru and Minako. A water missile burst inches from Patrick and Plankton, propelling them into the wall. Minako flew to Patrick and Plankton, to protect them. They'd changed places. So Rei's move didn't seem necessary.

Did Rei have an attack to counter the anchor? Could she even defeat the fish while her attacks were weakened?

Michiru hovered beside Rei. "We'll do it together."

Another water missile flew toward Michiru. She swerved, dodging the missile. A yelp came from behind. Michiru and Rei looked. Minako flew backward, propelled by the exploding missile. She slammed onto the wall, spread-eagled.

Minako began to slide down the wall. "Why do these things…keep happening to me?" She should've been paying attention.

Grinding, wobbling, the statue hurled the anchor.

With her weakened attacks, Rei would only get in the way.

Michiru whipped in front of Rei, her Deep Aqua Mirror materializing in her hand. "Submarine Reflection!" Water blasted out of the mirror, punching through the anchor and then the statue. Both the anchor and the statue crumbled, their remains crushing the floor, the statues and sculptures.

"Well, we didn't do much more damage." Recovered, Minako hovered in front of Patrick and Plankton. "I mean, we'd destroyed most of the museum already, with the crane and then tripping the system."

The wave smashed through the swath of robots, through the exit, tearing away the wall, revealing nearly absolute darkness outside.

Michiru reined the water back into her mirror. She'd destroyed part of one of the things she liked most—a museum. How ironic.

"You're all right," Michiru said to Rei. "Good."

"Y-yes." Another blush from Rei. "I'm all right." She glanced at the floor. Ashamed at not being able to help?

More neediness, but Michiru suppressed a sharp rebuke and said instead, "You did great, Rei."

Rei perked. "Thank you. I did my best."

"Our attacks are polar opposites, but maybe we can fight together one day."

"I thought that's what we were going to do, but you defeated the statue and the anchor so easily."

"Trust me, I couldn't have defeated them by myself, regardless of how powerful my attacks are down here. Your tiara weakened them."

Doubt flickered in her eyes. Now was not the time for a lecture.

Plankton peeked out of Patrick's pocket. "Are they gone?"

"They're gone," Minako said.

He wiped sweat from his brow, like he'd been the one fighting. "We still have one more place to go. The Trench of Advanced Darkness."

Patrick backed to the wall. "T-T-T-T-Trench… Darkness… Darkness means dark." His bottom lip quivered. "Don't make me go, guys. I don't wanna."

"Okay, Patrick," Minako said. "We'll leave you here to go back to Bikini Bottom, in the dark, all by yourself."

"Never mind."

"Even after all that, one more place to go." She let out a breath. "We can do this, guys."

By the way Patrick was gnawing his nails, he might not get through the Trench unscathed.

Rei tried to appear brave by squaring herself, but she couldn't look up. Wasn't as confident as she was trying to show herself to be.

The younger Guardians might be needy, but they were still part of the Sailor Team. Everyone needed encouragement and mentorship.

"Come on, Rei," Michiru said. "Let's fly together."

Rei brightened. Side by side, they flew. Ahead, darkness awaited them, but together, they lit the way.


	31. Cimmerian Shade

**Chapter Thirty-one: Cimmerian Shade**

They'd killed Tiger's Eye.

Standing at the edge of the cliff that the museum was erect upon, where she had been blasted while fighting the Guardians and the Sleepytimes, VesVes had felt the energy jerked out, indicating that one of their own had been killed. By the feel of the energy, Tiger's Eye was the one.

VesVes clenched a hand. No one killed her beasts.

Those damn Guardians had entered the museum. If VesVes had learned anything from CereCere, it was that she couldn't charge in blindly and expect to win. She needed a plan.

A bald human with a giant nose, clad in a superhero's outfit, rushed out of the museum's vent atop the roof. Heaving for breath, he cupped his knees.

When VesVes needed beasts, another human had come instead. No matter. She'd use the human regardless. He could give information about the Guardians.

VesVes jumped before the human. The human gasped, stepped backward.

He stretched out a shaking arm. "Don't come any closer, or you'll face the wrath of my _Sulfur Vision._ " His voice echoed with the last two words. Despite his feeble, elderly appearance, this human could be powerful. Never underestimate humans. After all, the Guardians were tougher than Tiger's Eye had thought.

VesVes withdrew her whip. "If you come any closer, I'll lash you. Which is much more threatening than it sounds." Fish would be drawn to the sound of her whip. Then, she could command them to overwhelm this human through sheer numbers.

The human recoiled. "Trust me, I've faced much more villainous…villains than you appear to be. Although you do look pretty villainous, I must admit."

"Thank you." VesVes cracked her whip, and the human cringed. A rush of fins neared them. The fish, her beasts, were approaching to obey her. VesVes had the advantage, and the way the human's face was falling, he knew, too.

"Now, what were you saying about Sulfur Vision?" VesVes said, the fish surrounding her.

The man gulped thrice. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"That's what I thought. Now, you and I are gonna have a little chat about the Sailor Guardians."

* * *

Patrick despised the dark. And the Trench of Advanced Darkness was the darkest part of Rock Bottom. The intermittent lightbulbs barely lit the area. There could never be too much light, but there could definitely be too much darkness.

It didn't help that, as soon as he and the Guardians stepped out of the museum, they fell onto a slide.

Patrick rolled himself into a ball and slid. He stayed near the glowing Michiru, who slid on her bottom, and Rei, who didn't glow, but had bright attacks, the Guardian of Flames sliding on her back. As did Sailor Venus, who pushed herself forward with her hands. Thank goodness their attacks were bright. Patrick wished he could be a night light too.

Voice rattling, Minako said, "You didn't tell us about this slide."

Patrick's teeth chattered from fear. Sliding in the dark sucked the fun out of slides, should be illegal. Heck, darkness should be illegal. "I didn't know you didn't know what slides were."

"We know what slides are." Rei slammed into the side of the slide, yelped. "But we've never seen slides like this."

"Anything goes in Bikini Bottom," Michiru said. Patrick liked Michiru. She could be scary sometimes, but she stayed calm. Most importantly, she glowed. If only Patrick could take her home and use her as a night light. "Including long, winding slides." The slide twisted down into the Trench.

"Can't you guys fly?" Patrick said. "I'd rather fly through the darkness than slide. I wanna fly, I wanna fly." Pleading usually got the starfish his way.

The Guardians looked at one another again. Why'd they look at one another when Patrick said stuff?

Michiru and Minako looked at Rei at the same time.

"Don't give me that look," Rei said. "I'm not carrying him again."

Minako side-eyed Michiru. "You're the strongest one now. You do it."

"I'd rather not waste energy. I don't know what my limitations are."

"You're in the ocean. You _command_ the ocean. What limitations?"

"You never know. I'm going to err on the side of caution."

"Damn your logical explanations."

They kept sliding, Patrick swerving around Tikis, Rei and Minako barreling into them.

"Oh, yeah." Patrick swiveled around a Stone Tiki. "There are these things called Thunder Tikis that explode when you touch them."

An explosion boomed behind Patrick. A blackened Minako shot forward.

"I wish you had told me sooner," she said, her voice fading as she rocketed down the slide. Michiru took to the air.

"Hey, what happened to wasting energy?" Patrick lifted his arms. "I wanna be carried."

"I'm saving Minako." More quietly, she said, "Again." Michiru rushed past Rei and Patrick. Why didn't anyone want to carry him?

With her Love Whip, Minako tried to lasso a Stone Tiki. Narrowly missing the Tiki, the Whip clattered onto the slide. Minako kept a tight grip on her Whip, shouting another naughty word.

Reaching Minako, Michiru extended a hand, but Minako couldn't reach toward Michiru. From Michiru's hand, water jetted before Minako, and the Guardian of Love crashed through it, slowing her movement to a crawl. At the end of the slide, Minako crashed onto the sand, the sand clouding her.

Minako lay her sand-dusted head on her arms. "I've been having a rough time down here." She swept onto her feet. "But it's okay. After all, I _am_ Super Sailor Venus." She jabbed a finger at Michiru. "But why didn't you stop me instead of just slow me down?"

Michiru landed before Minako. "It's better than letting you fly off the slide at full speed, and I couldn't carry you with my waves by the way you were sliding down."

"You could've _tried."_

Michiru sighed. "Yes, you're welcome, Minako."

"Oh." She cleared her throat. "W-well, I guess that was better than nothing. Thank you, Michiru-san."

They had left only Patrick and Rei on the slide. The two of them once more.

"I like being carried." Patrick dodged a Wooden Tiki, Rei smashing through it, splinters flying. "But I can carry you instead."

"That's kind of you, Patrick. You've been less selfish lately."

"I don't know what that means, but it sure does sound nice." Patrick wasn't selfish. He thought about himself a lot and talked about himself all the time and always asked other people to do stuff for him, but that didn't make him selfish.

Patrick swung around, facing Rei. He spread his arms, like he was going to hug her. Rei scooted into Patrick's waiting arms. Looking over his shoulder, Patrick kept his back to the front of the slide. He'd take the brunt of the hits from now on. Rei had done the same for him.

He dodged several Tikis, and they reached the end of the slide. Patrick squeezed Rei, and they flew off, the two tumbling onto the ground, near Gary the snail.

"Hey, it's Gary again." Patrick climbed upright, as did Rei. "Hi, Gary."

Minako and MIchiru joined the two, Minako saying, "This snail certainly knows how to get around. Did he take the bus down?"

"Meow."

"He did," Patrick said. Superheroes couldn't understand a snail's simple language?

Minako rubbed her forehead. "Don't think too much about that, Minako."

Michiru stared at Gary hard, like she was trying to decipher him. He was just a lowly, bill-paying snail.

"Meow, meow."

" 'Welcome to the Trench of Advanced Darkness?'" Patrick shivered. "No, Gary, you welcome someone to your brightly lit house, not the Trench of Advanced Darkness."

"Meow, meow, meow."

" 'Trying to make our day brighter instead, since this place is so dark? Gary, stop kidding. The dark is dark, and not even a joke could make the darkness brighter. Unless…it could, and I'm missing something." Patrick's lips quivered. "Quick, tell a joke. Someone, anyone."

"Meow, meow."

" 'This place is the last area in Rock Bottom?' That's not a very good joke." Patrick looked around. "The darkness doesn't agree with you, either, since it's not gettin' any brighter."

"I don't think it was a joke," Michiru said.

"If it was, it was so terrible that the darkness didn't get brighter. C'mon, Gary, tell another one. Better this time."

"Meow." With an eyeball, Gary pointed into the distance.

" 'There's an exit over there.' Thatwasn't s'posed to be a joke, was it?"

" _Meow._ "

" 'Look.'" Patrick and the Guardians looked where Gary had pointed. An exit sign was lit in plain English, brightening the area around it. They could leave from there, without waiting for the bus. "An exit. Wow, Gary, that wasn't there before. Maybe your jokes were funny enough that they made an exit appear." He grabbed Michiru's hand. He was not going to let go of her. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

She tugged her hand away. "We're here to defeat the robots, Patrick, not leave as soon as possible."

"What robots?" Patrick had been so occupied by the darkness that he'd forgotten about the robots. "I don't see any, so let's go." He pulled Michiru's arm, but the Guardian didn't budge.

"Just because we don't see any doesn't mean that there aren't any around," Rei said. "Besides, VesVes is somewhere out there, too."

Patrick chewed his lip, not wanting to be in Rock Bottom longer than he had to.

"What are those?"

Yards away from the exit stood three blue machines that looked like washing machines.

Plankton peeked out of Patrick's pocket. "Ah, my lasers. Wonderful." He laughed. Glares from the Guardians quieted him at once.

"Lasers?" Minako said.

"Right. They're for you to stand in front of while I activate them."

"Do you actually think we're that stupid?"

"Yes."

"What are they really for?" Rei said.

"Another failed idea to steal the krabby patty secret formula." He drummed his fingers on his arm. "I was going to blast open the Krusty Krab, steal the secret formula while everyone was distracted, and then profit!"

"Lasers for stealing a formula," Minako said flatly. "There has to be something more to this."

Plankton snorted. "If there were, which there very well might be, I wouldn't tell—"

Michiru raised her hand, and a small wave appeared in her palm, big enough to drown Plankton.

"I, I, I, I mean, I would love to tell you that the lasers were for fulfilling my ultimate goal of world domination."

Michiru retracted the wave into her glove. Amazing what superheroes could do.

Minako blinked. "World domination. How predictable." She yawned. "And boring."

Plankton shook fists in the air. "Nothing about my plan or me is predictable or boring. I will sneak into your dreams and defeat you there. With my brilliance, I certainly can and will."

Patrick saluted Plankton. "And I will help you, future master."

Rei shot Patrick a look that he couldn't read.

"Seriously, though, you need to activate my lasers to reach the exit you're desperate for."

"We can fly over," Michiru said.

Plankton winced. "That may be true, but you should still activate my lasers."

"To achieve your dream of world domination?"

"Exactly." To himself, he said, "My manipulation skills are something to behold."

"Uh-huh." Minako squinted. "It looks like there are robots playing on the lasers. We'd better go stop them."

Patrick's eyes lit up. "Can I play with them, too?"

Rei gave Patrick another unreadable look. "Yes. Yes, you can."

Now Michiru gave Rei an unreadable look. The Guardians were looking at one another strangely a lot. Why didn't they say stuff instead of look at one another?

Rei blushed. "Um, to him, playing means fighting. He played with the Sandy robot enough to almost destroy it."

Patrick gazed at the lasers. Suddenly, being down in Rock Bottom didn't seem that bad. He couldn't wait to play with the robots.

The Guardians and Patrick ran toward the lasers. The contraptions pointed to a fourth machine that resembled a honeycomb, but blue instead, without the honey. A honey-less honeycomb. Was there a purpose for a honeycomb without honey?

"Ah, you're mesmerized by my super laser, are you, my future minion?" Plankton laughed once more; glares from the Guardians silenced him.

"Don't worry, future master," Patrick said. "I won't let Rei and the others vaporize you. At least not before you vaporize me."

"I appreciate your loyalty."

"Your _super_ laser?" Minako said. "What does that do differently than your other lasers?"

"For one thing," Plankton barked, "it shuts up humans, particularly goody two-shoes in miniskirts who are trying to defeat my robot army."

"Ha ha." Minako unhooked her Love Whip, and Plankton shrunk. "What does it really do?"

"It's my most powerful laser, to be used only if my other three lasers can't cut it. Literally can't cut the Krusty Krab. But now, it'll create a pathway to Rock Bottom's exit."

The quicker they could leave, the better. The sole silver lining was that Patrick would get to play on lasers with the robots before he left.

"You do an awful lot to try and steal this formula," Minako said. "It's kind of sad."

"Don't you dare pity me. I'm the most powerful being in the world. With my brilliance—"

A laser shot inches from Plankton, and Plankton retreated into Patrick's pocket, squeaking. A Sleepytime ahead had awakened, and its siren began to ring.

"Wow. Plankton's big mouth woke up that robot," Minako said.

The Sleepytime shot another beam, singeing the sand near Patrick's feet. Must want to play with Plankton.

Patrick plucked Plankton out of his pocket, and Plankton hollered. "Here, I'll give him to you since you want him." He threw Plankton toward the Sleepytime.

"You idiot, no," Rei said.

Hollering, Plankton cowered behind his arms. The Sleepytime zapped out a third beam, the beam shooting through Plankton. He disappeared in the beam, his holler stopping. Maybe they didn't want to play with him after all.

"I'm coming, Master." Patrick hurried toward his future overlord and the beam, jumped, snatching Plankton just as his master emerged from it, stashing Plankton in his pocket. The Sleepytime's eyes flashed. The beam burnt the top of Patrick's head, and he howled, leaping backward. Getting hit by a beam was not the fun that Plankton made it look like.

Could Michiru destroy that Sleepytime with one hit? "Hey, Night Light, break the robot for hurting me." Patrick was angry, but he didn't see anything he could throw, not even a rock, which was ironic for a place called Rock Bottom. The place should be a bottom full of rocks, even though Bikini Bottom wasn't filled with bikinis.

Michiru flew toward the laser instead of the robot.

Patrick hurried toward the laser. "I'm the one who's s'posed to play on the laser.

"You two can play together." Rei sparked a flame the size of a candle's on the tip of her finger. She grinded her teeth. "Sailor Neptune's powers have grown so powerful that they're negating mine. Mina-chan, it's up to you."

Minako threw her Love Whip, lassoing the Sleepytime. Patrick couldn't watch Minako and the Sleepytime. He needed to reach the laser before Michiru stole all the fun. Playing with a toy before asking if anyone else wanted to play on it first was a dirty thing to do. Granted, Patrick wouldn't have asked, either, but it was different when he did things. The same stuff others did was wrong and annoying, while everything Patrick did was right and not annoying.

Metal shattered behind them. Chunks of the Sleepytime bounced past Patrick, the starfish climbing atop the cliff on which the laser stood. Plankton peeked out of Patrick's pocket.

On the cliff wheeled Fodders, Ham-mers, Tar-tar Sauces. A Duplicatotron 1000 stood beside the laser, pumping robots toward Rei and Minako. They'd be tied up with those robots.

Another Sleepytime morphed from the black ball that the D1000 released. The robot landed near Patrick. Its light reddened, and its siren sounded, like its invading Patrick's space was the starfish's fault. Plankton hollered, clambered out of Patrick's pocket, yelling, "Abandon ship."

"Aw, you don't want to play, Overlord?"

Plankton hesitated. "You ask so nicely, it makes an overlord want to obey his future minion." Another beam shot from the Sleepytime, zapping Plankton, who yelped, shooting into the air, smoking.

Michiru raised her hand. "Deep Submerge!" A wave grew from the darkness and then cascaded toward the Sleepytime, the Fodders, the Ham-mers, the Tar-tar Sauces, the D1000.

"I wanna play with the robots first." But if Patrick stepped in front of the wave, he'd drown. He didn't know how to swim.

Plankton landed headfirst on top of the laser, rolled toward its tip, where the beam would emerge. Maybe the laser doubled as a washing machine, so when the laser launched its beam, Plankton would be washed like clothes.

The giant wave slammed onto not only the robots, breaking them, their remnants flying through the wave, but also the side of the laser. Something on the laser clicked and, as Plankton dropped in front of the laser's tip, the laser contracted, pulsing out a beam onto Plankton.

"These things keep happening to me." Plankton roared much louder than he looked capable of. The beam propelled Plankton, smacking him into the honeycomb-like machine in the middle of the three lasers. He slid down, fell through the air, spinning end over end, silent.

His master had done much for Patrick—calling the starfish a lummox, a fool, promising to vaporize him—that Patrick had to return the favor by saving him. But below the honeycomb laser, where Plankton fell, was Patrick's worst nightmare: darkness.

Patrick resisted the urge to bite his nails. He couldn't hesitate, regardless of his fear. Couldn't leave his master like he'd left Rei, letting Tiger's Eye hurt her.

The starfish tried to run toward the darkness, jump down to save his master, but his body resisted, becoming sluggish. He pushed forward. If only he had a night light attached to his head. If only he _was_ a night light like Michiru was.

"Rei," he said, "can you carry me to save Plankton?"

Rei whooshed toward him, that cool, faint red glow about her. "I'm not carrying you. But I will save Plankton."

Great, she was going to save his master. "Wait. I don't want _you_ to save him. I wanna save him myself. So you gotta carry me."

Rei faltered, giving him another unreadable look.

"Why do you guys keep looking like that?"

"No reason." She flew toward him, hooked her arms under his own, grunted, and hefted him into the air.

Rei crept through the air. "Move faster, or we won't catch him," Patrick said. The darkness threatened to swallow Plankton whole. According to Rei, Patrick had been swallowed whole by the darkness before, but Patrick had been unconscious, so he didn't remember anything but his dream, Rei entering his dream and promising she'd save him.

Rei saved Patrick an awful lot. She did a lot of stuff for him, like carrying him when she and the rest of the Guardians were flying.

A brighter glow burst around Rei, and she moved faster, Plankton appearing in the darkness. Patrick broke into sweat, and he hyperventilated. If Patrick was hyperventilating, he wasn't sure he'd stay awake long enough to save Plankton.

He reached toward Plankton, Plankton stretching both arms toward Patrick. Tears dropped from Plankton's eye, disappearing in the darkness. That's why Patrick despised the darkness—it ate everything. Patrick liked eating, too, but at least the stuff he ate plopped into his stomach. With darkness, who knew where stuff ended up?

"Ah, my future minion." Plankton choked on his tears. "I knew you'd be faithful to me. You even convinced one of our enemies to save me. My brilliant persuasion skills must be rubbing off on you. But don't misunderstand. You will never be as brilliant as me."

Rei wasn't Patrick's enemy, and she wasn't Plankton's enemy, either, so Patrick didn't know what Plankton was talking about.

Patrick's hand brushed Plankton's. Neither of them had fingers; grabbing each other would be hard.

Rei hooked her heel under Plankton and bumped him up. Patrick caught Plankton and moved him toward his pocket.

"No, no, not in there." Plankton's voice was shrill. Was he scared of the dark, too? "Keep holding me. I'm more secure in your hands than your pockets."

"Aye-aye, Overlord." Patrick squeezed Plankton, his eye bulging.

Flying upward, Rei let out an exasperated breath. "Even when someone saves your life, you're still unbearable, Plankton."

"Once I become the ruler of the world, you won't dare say anything against me." Plankton rested his arms on Patrick's hand. "Just for saying that, I won't let you become my second-in-command."

"Devastating," she said, monotone.

Plankton turned up his head.

As the three flew, the brightness returned, albeit not as much brightness as Patrick would've liked. At least the laser was brightening their surroundings.

They reached the top of the trench.

With Rei, Patrick had saved Plankton. The Guardian set Patrick onto his feet.

"I'm glad I didn't have to go down into that scary dark by myself. See, you can be a night light, too. Like Michiru."

Rei's eyes softened. "Happy to help."

* * *

Minako was surrounded by those freaking robots. The arrogant Michiru was off trying to be a hero to Rei, Patrick, and Plankton. But better that she was somewhere else than here, bothering Minako with her annoying self. Michiru used the sea to attack. Minako used the manifestation of love to attack. Sometimes, Minako didn't feel much love when she attacked., mainly when Michiru was around. How were they supposed to destroy the robots together, find the artwork, retake Rock Bottom, and find VesVes?

Things would become worse if VesVes turned the fish against the Guardians. Fighting the fish themselves would be like trying to fight the fish-bots that Minako and Makoto had fought in Goo Lagoon—if they attacked the fish-bots, then the fish themselves would be injured, too. Here, they'd be attacking the fish directly.

Minako couldn't overthink things. She had no issues defeating the robots, sometimes morphing her Love Whip into a sword and slicing when the robots came too close.

Then the fish started coming.

They approached from every side, their eyes open but blank, not fashioned into robots. They frothed at the mouth.

Minako couldn't hurt these fish, but she couldn't do nothing.

These fish walking toward her with their arms out like zombies she saw in horror movies—how cliché—could mean only one thing: VesVes was near.

On cue, laughter echoed from above. VesVes stood atop one of the deactivated lasers, Barnacle Boy beside her. Carrying Patrick, Rei had dived into the darkness. Minako was so busy fighting the robots that she didn't know why. Wherever Michiru had ended up, the older Guardian wasn't around to help Minako.

Minako flew upward, out of the swath of robots. A Tar-tar Sauce jetted sauce at her, and she flitted sideways, the sauce arcing into the distance. All that mattered now was VesVes, holding a dejected Barnacle Boy hostage.

"Greetings." By the way she snarled, VesVes must've found out about Rei's killing Tiger's Eye. She grabbed Barnacle Boy's arm, pulled the superhero closer to her. "Your ancient friend here was useless, telling me that you wear miniskirts and fly." She turned her head, her mouth in Barnacle Boy's ear, and yelled, "Which I knew already," Barnacle Boy's nose blowing sideways. She returned her attention to Minako. "You Guardians think you can kill us right and left. Things don't work like that." She spread her arms. "My tamed beasts will destroy you."

Minako scowled, readying herself for the fish nearing her. What heinous deeds did they have in store for her?

A blonde fish took out a brush and combed Minako's hair. "Oh, what beautiful hair you have."

A male fish grabbed Minako's arm and licked from her hand to her shoulder. All thought left Minako's head. She gaped at the fish licking his lips.

A flounder caressed the Love Whip she held. "Ooh, it glows." The Love Whip's golden aura reflected in his dark eyes. "Beautiful."

VesVes pulled her hair in opposite directions. "No, you imbeciles. I commanded you to _kill_ her. Killkillkill. She stomped her feet, lashed the air with her whip. The fish stood at attention, facing her. The "beast tamer" ground out, "Kill. The. Sailor. Guardians."

The fish stared at her, facial expressions devoid of understanding. One fish drooled.

"Why don't you kill them all?" VesVes was yelling louder. Barnacle Boy stepped away.

The fish looked at Minako. They looked at VesVes.

"How do we kill her?"

"I don't care," VesVes shrieked. "Just do it." The louder she became, the shriller her voice.

"We are." The blonde fish stroked the comb through Minako's hair. Deft fins. "We're killing her with kindness."

VesVes croaked. Wind whistled through Rock Bottom.

While VesVes was stunned with shock, Minako raised her Love Whip. The Dead Moon Circus was despicable. She could never forgive their manipulating others and their dreams through the guise of fun. She dreamed of becoming an idol, but her number one dream was to protect Sailor Moon and her fellow Guardians at all costs. She wanted to grow into an awe-inspiring role model, leading the Guardians toward victory.

Even after this epiphany, no new attacks came forth. Super Sailor Venus was more powerful, but maybe she needed to wait a little longer. Or she could dig deep inside herself and force it out.

She didn't have time to soul search. VesVes stood, slack-jawed, in front of her, vulnerable.

Minako would have to play things smart.

She took off her tiara and threw it toward one of bright lasers, on which the neon lights reflected. The light from the laser beamed off the tiara, into VesVes' eyes. VesVes recoiled, shutting and covering her eyes with both hands, ducking her head. Minako took to the air, the fish reaching for her, the blonde fish's comb ripping through her hair.

"Wait," one fish said, "I must lick you."

Minako couldn't let herself be creeped out. Had to reach VesVes.

VesVes slapped her whip onto the ground. "Protect me, my beasts."

Moaning came from below. Focusing on ending VesVes, Minako morphed her Love Whip back into a sword. Fish tried to gather near her even though she was flying where they couldn't reach.

Rocks from below pelted Minako, almost knocking her off-balance, but she kept going. Tartar sauce whistled past her, splattering the ground. Couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. Focused solely on VesVes.

All VesVes had were her beasts to hide behind. Minako used her own power.

A whirring noise shook the air, threatening to knock Minako off-kilter. A beam lit up the sky. Minako pressed onward.

A wave of fire blew past her, lighting the area, nearly crisping Minako's hair once again. The fire could mean only one thing—Rei had returned.

Minako poked her whip inside the fire, heating her whip. VesVes turned sideways, dodging the fire, but Minako reached the beast tamer.

Here were the words she'd been waiting for, the ones she'd gotten from relying on her friends. "Venus…" She held her whip like a bow and arrow, the power from her anger at the Dead Moon Circus' deviousness, at her desire to be a great leader, to protect the Sailor Team, swelling through her. The Guardians couldn't do anything without one another.

The love they had for one another was beautiful.

"…Love and Beauty Shock!" A golden beam shot from her whip, where VesVes had turned. VesVes hollered, the beam vaporizing her as she passed through. "Not agai— Oof!" She slammed into one of the laser's buttons and then bounced off like a pinball, the laser on which she had slammed activating, its laser shooting onto the larger laser hanging in the middle. VesVes smacked into the other laser's button, activating that one, the laser contracting and then pulsing out a beam onto the laser in the middle. VesVes spun over the laser, into the beam, her skeleton flashing. The laser propelled her into the laser in the middle. She bounded off that laser and then plunged into the darkness. VesVes had to be finished after that.

The laser in the middle activated, releasing a beam that spun around the Trench of Advanced Darkness, into a pillar, slashing the pillar in half. The bottom half of the pillar crashed onto the trench's floor, creating a path to Rock Bottom's exit.

Patrick's cheers came from Minako's side. "We did it."

Relief and warmth spread. They had.

Rei hovered beside her. Hadn't seen her coming, Minako was so tired. "Just so you know, VesVes isn't finished yet."

"Even after our flashy combined attack?"

"Even after all that."

She sucked her teeth. "Figures. These guys may be weak and annoying, but they sure know how to survive." She yelled, articulating each word, "Thank goodness you at least came to help me." Trying to make sure that Michiru could hear her. "Unlike some people who aren't team players and isolate themselves like hermits."

Minako felt the body heat behind her. She whirled around. "You're not scaring me."

"One, I wasn't going to scare you," Michiru said. "Two, I'm right behind you. You don't have to yell. Three, I appreciate you having the courage to insult me to my face, even though I was fighting the robots and couldn't get to you."

"You know that I'm having a hard time believing that with your upgraded powers, right?"

"I do, but I've gotten to the point where I don't care what you think."

Patrick climbed down from the platform on which one of the lasers stood, Plankton peering out of his pocket. He joined the Guardians.

"I would've thought that you'd make a beeline for the exit, Patrick," Rei said.

"Y'know, the dark isn't that bad. I mean, it's still bad because it's dark, but after saving my future master, I figured out that darkness…is dark."

Minako deflated. "How insightful."

"I can see where you're coming from," Rei said. "Your fear was making darkness much worse than it actually is."

Patrick's brow creased, and then he crossed his arms and nodded. "Uh, right. Darkness is dark, like I said."

Minako couldn't tell how much Patrick had understood what Rei had said, but Rei seemed to understand Patrick's way of speaking just fine. At some level, Patrick understood that his mind was convincing him that darkness was worse than it was. After flying headfirst into the darkness, Patrick discovered that he could handle the dark.

Patrick plucked out artwork from his pocket. "I also got the last piece of artwork for Mrs. Puff."

"Whatever dastardly deeds she wants to do with it." Minako shrugged. "Seriously, she acted way too weird when we asked her why we should give it to her instead of to the museum."

"We can give all the artwork to the security guard instead," Michiru said. Barnacle Boy stood where VesVes had once been, on a raised platform near the museum, gawking at them. "I'd rather not have anyone defile artwork."

The Guardians, Patrick, and Plankton returned to Barnacle Boy, where Patrick, who had stuffed the artwork in his pockets without damaging it (helpful cartoon physics) gave it to his hero. He kneeled, shuffled to Barnacle Boy and kissed the superhero's shoes.

"Oh, thank you, Barnacle Boy, for this honor of giving you the artwork."

Barnacle Boy shook Patrick off. "All right, kid, that's enough."

The Guardians left, Rei dragging Patrick by the arm, the starfish declaring that he and Barnacle Boy would always be together once these Guardians were out of the way, forgetting that he'd be dead without "these Guardians," and Barnacle Boy responding emotionlessly that he was elated for that day to come. As the group walked toward Rock Bottom's exit, Plankton tried to clamber out of Patrick's pocket. With her finger, Minako shoved Plankton back inside.

"Don't take advantage of my small stature like that," Plankton said. "I command you to let me go so I can use my lasers to vaporize you."

"Telling us about your plans won't make us obey you," Michiru said.

Plankton couldn't do much harm, though. Maybe the Guardians should let him go once they returned to Bikini Bottom. Or they could keep Plankton and let him help them.

Whether Plankton tried to use his lasers for evil, however the robots tried to destroy Bikini Bottom, Minako and her friends could handle it. Michiru and Minako might not like each other, but they worked all right together.

"Y'know what, Michiru-san?" Minako said. "I'm glad you're with us."

Michiru smiled softly. "I'm glad you're with us, too."

Minako warmed. Sure, they might not be best friends, but without each other, they'd crumble.

Together, they'd won the battle to save Rock Bottom.


	32. Covert Operation

**Chapter Thirty-two: Covert Operation**

SpongeBob wanted to see this Mermalair more than Setsuna, Ami, Chibi-Usa, and Hotaru combined. He skipped ahead of the Guardians, toward Shady Shoals Rest Home, a tall building in the middle of Bikini Bottom, singing _The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle_ Boy's theme song. Setsuna guessed that a secret lair stashed under a rest home would excite anyone. Like Chibi-Usa, chattering to Hotaru about her adventures in Bikini Bottom. Hotaru laughed at Chibi-Usa's retelling of Patrick and Rei getting stuck in a chimney.

Chibi-Usa laughed, too. "You're laughing, but it wasn't funny at the time."

"That makes it funnier." Hotaru's hard but quiet laugh made Chibi-Usa laugh harder. Hotaru was a mysterious young woman, one of the most introverted people Setsuna knew.

The other one was Ami.

The Guardian of Water walked beside Setsuna, not daring to look Setsuna in the eye. Either Ami was afraid of Setsuna, or she was deathly shy. Likely a combination. Sometimes, Setsuna would concentrate so much on her research and guarding the Space-Time Door that she seemed unapproachable. Spending much time alone made her stoic and aloof.

Before the attack from the Dead Moon Circus, Setsuna and Ami had spent time together. Setsuna had taught Ami more about computers, the younger Guardian hanging on Setsuna's every word. Setsuna had thought of herself as only Small Lady's role model, but her heart warmed at others considering her to be one, too. Setsuna would do her best to guide Ami.

SpongeBob danced to the rest home's door, thrust it open. Eyes sparkling, he looked at the old woman pushing herself along in a wheelchair; at the table with a checkers game sprawled on it, pieces scattered about; at an elderly man drinking from a water fountain; at the menu hanging near the cafeteria's door. On the menu for six days of the week was meatloaf for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Thursday was devoted to tapioca.

A thirty-something man wearing a uniform—the caretaker—shook the fuzz-filled television at the front of the room. He fuddled with its antenna, but the television showed more fuzz.

A round old human sitting on the couch in front of the television snapped his head toward the group. "Is that the T.V. repairman?"

The caretaker deflated. "Aw, great." He stood, placing his hands on his hips. "Listen, if you're here to disturb us again—"

SpongeBob jumped, fluttering to a skinny, elderly human with a giant nose standing behind the couch, in a permanent slouch. "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy." His voice tingled with admiration. He hadn't stopped talking about them since leaving the treedome, telling the Guardians about the two heroes' perils, the villains they had vanquished, from a wicked manatee to a dirty bubble. Setsuna couldn't make sense of his babblings.

Everyone in Bikini Bottom, from villains to retired heroes, contributed to the city's unique culture. Setsuna was trying to adapt, observe how the fish treated fish-eating humans. So far, she hadn't felt like a foreigner, but the fish had mostly ignored her, compliments of the robots.

Meanwhile, she tried to figure out how Bikini Bottom defied physics, a subject she studied at her university. Perhaps some formula explained why. Bikini Bottom was a puzzle that Setsuna was determined to solve.

Setsuna wanted to pick Ami's brain, too. Ami didn't have much self-confidence, the way she shifted her eyes when she talked, her softness. Ami had become more confident since Setsuna first met her almost a year ago, but Ami was so smart, she needed to share and protect with her knowledge.

The skinny man stepped back from SpongeBob. "Uh, SpongeKid, didn't we talk about boundaries?"

"If we did, I couldn't hear you over your overwhelming power."

"Can he fix the T.V.?" the round human said.

"Allow me to introduce you to my favorite superheroes." SpongeBob rushed to the round human, the caretaker scowling. "This is the most powerful of the duo, although both of them are powerful in their own right. This is one of the ultimate superheroes, the majestic, almighty, yet merciful and passionate Mermaid Man." He scrambled to the skinny human, his legs blurring. A vein protruded from the caretaker's forehead. "This is the other half of the superhero duo. Don't let his youth fool you into thinking that he's weak. What he lacks in life experience, his power more than makes up for. This is Barnacle Boy."

"I'm sixty-eight years _old,_ for goodness' sake," Barnacle Boy said.

SpongeBob patted Barnacle Boy's shoulder. "Yes, yes, we know, young one. There are some toys for you to play with if our adult conversation is too boring for you."

Barnacle Boy's face reddened.

"These are the most powerful beings in Bikini Bottom. Brought because of mermaids giving them the power to breathe and live underwater, thanks to a drowning incident. The mermaids also blessed them with powers to serve and protect Bikini Bottom. Their powers were so powerful that they were given their own television show, where their heroics were showcased for the masses to watch in awe."

Chibi-Usa whispered to Hotaru, "This is way too long of a tangent about two elderly men who can't possibly be as powerful as he's saying they are."

"Weren't you taught to respect your elders, Small Lady?" Setsuna said. Chibi-Usa recoiled. Must not have thought that Setsuna could hear her. "Do you think I'm old and past my prime?"

Chibi-Usa flushed crimson. "That's, that's not what I said, Puu."

"But that's what you meant, isn't it?" 

The caretaker swiveled around, saving Chibi-Usa. "Are you here to disturb the peace, or do you actually have a reason for coming here?"

"Oh, there's a reason." SpongeBob batted his eyes at the two retired men. "To worship the greatest heroes who ever lived."

"So you're here to disturb the peace. Again. Look, you're distracting everyone from their games of bingo and their third nap of the day. You have to go."

Indeed, residents of the rest home were looking from their intense games of checkers and bingo, as shown by their foreheads glistening with sweat. One older woman had startled out of her nap, her glasses falling off. She tried in vain to bend over and pick them up, muttering about her wonky knees.

"Go," the caretaker growled.

"Hold on just a second," Barnacle Boy said. "He'll be gone soon enough."

SpongeBob's eyes grew brighter. "Are you gonna destroy me with a water ball to get rid of me? I'd be honored if you did. Please, hit me, hit me, hit me."

"Uh, no, not today. What I had in mind is you and your friends going down to the Mermalair and saving it from those robots. Somehow, they burrowed their way inside. I don't know what their plans are, but it looks like they're trying to use the machines for their own purposes."

Ami cupped her chin. "I wonder if they're using the Mermalair as a robot-producing lab. They might have crossed from their own lab to the Mermalair." 

"That makes sense, Ami," Setsuna said. "That's a theory we can investigate."

Ami blushed, smiling softly. A boost of confidence for the admirer.

SpongeBob's voice deepened. "T'would be my honor to save the beloved Mermalair from those evil cretins."

Mermaid Man stiffened. "Evil." His head whipped to the right. "Evil?" His head whipped to the left. " _Evil,"_ he yelled, jumping onto his feet.

"Hey!" the caretaker barked. "I'm sick of you coming here and disturbing everyone and making my life harder. Do you know how much I have to clean up after you mess with everyone? You scare everyone so badly that they soil themselves. _Soil_ themselves."

Once again, several rest home residents had startled, gasping, searching for the evil that Mermaid Man had spoken of. Murmurs filled the rest home.

"All the evil must be vanquished. I will begin by vanquishing the evil fuzz on the T.V." Mermaid Man pointed a remote control to the television and pushed the button. The couch on which he sat shot up, revealing a floor with a horizontal door upon it. The door slid open.

"Away we go." SpongeBob stretched himself into the hole. "C'mon, everyone," echoed his voice from the hole.

"Good riddance." The caretaker shot a glare at the Guardians.

"The old coot and I'll meet you down there," Barnacle Boy said.

"I'll go first." Hotaru walked to the opening, sat, and scooted down.

"Ever the lady, Hotaru-chan." Chibi-Usa sat and scooted, too.

At Setsuna's insistence, Ami went next, and Setsuna was last. They fell through the open darkness until their heels and boots clacked on the metal floor.

Ahead, the Mermalair stretched, like they were walking on a metal version of the red carpet but with gaps and a disco floor that lit up in different colors. What was a disco floor doing in a hideout?

Lights at the pathway's sides lit the area every few feet. The Mermalair's ceiling and walls were jagged, like a cave's. Maybe the Mermalair was originally a cave but converted into a high-tech lair.

As brittle and slow as they were, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy had made it inside the Mermalair. They stood near two computers with green screens.

Setsuna held a lot of questions that the duo might not be able to answer. Mermaid Man had lost a bit of his mind with old age, so he couldn't be relied upon. Barnacle Boy seemed like he still had his wits. Regardless, Setsuna's questions would have to wait until the robots had been eradicated.

"How did you get here faster than us?" Chibi-Usa blurted. Since she was born, she'd been pounded with manners but lapsed sometimes. She averted her gaze from Setsuna. "I'm sorry." She always did her best to behave perfectly in front of Setsuna, more than her mother.

Mermaid Man yelped, pointed at Chibi-Usa. "Evil!" A ball of water appeared in his hands. Chibi-Usa gasped.

Barnacle Boy grabbed Mermaid Man's arm. "She's not evil, old man. She's here to save us. Did you forget that quickly?"

"But look at her. That pink hair, those big ol' red eyes, that short stature, they all scream evil."

Chibi-Usa looked over herself. "I thought I was cute."

Barnacle Boy lowered Mermaid Man's arm. "Breathe, old coot, breathe. There's no evil. None at all."

Mermaid Man breathed deeply, wild eyes calming, focusing. "None, none."

"Right. Right." Barnacle Boy rubbed the inside of his ear. "Listen, ladies, I know you're new here, but you shouldn't talk loudly in front of Mermaid Man. His heart and mind don't work the way they used to. Actually, nothing on him works like it used to."

SpongeBob shivered. "Ooh, I feel the chills of justice leaking from your awesome presence. Heck, the world shook at your unlaunched water ball. See? My goosebumps have goosebumps and those goosebumps have goosebumps and _those_ goosebumps have goosebumps and _those those_ goosebumps have—"

Barnacle Boy tapped his foot. "Don't you have something to do down here?"

"Oh, right." SpongeBob's voice deepened once more. "To save all of Patrick's socks, which have been lost to Patrick's mindlessness. And to save my sunglasses from the wrath of Patrick's butt, which sat on my old ones. I must save my new ones before he sits on those, too."

"Isn't there something more important than rescuing socks and sunglasses?"

"Can you give us a hint?"

Mermaid Man shook a fist. "The _evil_ robots. They must be destroyed."

SpongeBob whipped out his bubble wand from his pocket. "Ah, that's right. We're on it, my superheroes. Better yet, we can team up. With our powers combined, we. Shall. Be. Unstoppable."

"Actually, we can't vanquish the evil with our combined powers of goodness. It's Thursday, and we have too many doctor's appointments. Most importantly, it's tapioca night."

Barnacle Boy sighed. "Ah, fishsticks, with the doctor's appointments… And I have a shift at the Rock Bottom Museum as a security guard that I have to go to tonight. Darn, I'll miss the tapioca. They were supposed to have prune-flavored tapioca."

Chibi-Usa scrunched up her face, sticking out her tongue, reeling back.

"You don't have to be so dramatic," Hotaru said.

"This is genuine horror."

SpongeBob saluted the men. "We shall rescue the Mermalair from the robots, and they will not dare venture to the Mermalair anymore."

"The robots have taken over the Mermalair's security system," Mermaid Man said. "Go to the Mermalair Computer in the next room. She'll tell you what to do." A computer with a gender?

SpongeBob squared himself. "What an awesome responsibility you have given us. We shall not disappoint you. Shame you, yes, but never disappoint."

Mermaid Man pointed to the air and waddled as fast as his short legs could carry him. "To the doctor's office. Away!" Barnacle Boy walked after him, muttering that he hoped that Mermaid Man didn't start wandering around and frightening children again with his ramblings.

Leaving the Guardians and SpongeBob alone, with the robots, in the Mermalair. 

SpongeBob shook, barely containing his excitement. "I've been down here before, but man, to be down here to save the Mermalair… I am so humbled, I could cry." He wiped a tear from his cry. "Gosh darn it, I _am_ crying."

"This reminds me of the place my father kept me," Hotaru said. Setsuna's expression softened. Her father had done experiments on a sick Hotaru.

SpongeBob gasped. "You were trapped in the Mermalair. Oh, that's so cool." Sometimes, what he said to the Guardians when he had no idea of their past could be considered offensive, but his innocence kept others from taking offense. "What was it like?"

Hotaru regarded him. Michiru had done the same thing back in the treedome. The Outer Guardians didn't have to be obvious about their coldness. "Very cool."

"How amazing." He scrubbed his arms. "I have even more goosebumps."

Thank goodness the sponge hadn't asked for details. If Hotaru had told him what it was really like to be held captive by her father and experimented on, then the sponge would have nightmares for the rest of his life.

The group ran forward, SpongeBob at the head. "I know every nook and cranny of the Mermalair. The fan guide to _The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy_ details everything about the Mermalair. There's nothing that can—" He stepped on one of the red squares on the disco floor. SpongeBob yowled, shooting upward, smoke billowing from his shoes, the smell of burnt leather filling the area. He fell toward one of the holes at the side. Setsuna reached, grabbed the sponge's hand. She staggered, about to fall with the sponge.

"Puu!" Short arms wrapped around her waist, pulled her up along with SpongeBob.

Setsuna righted herself, placed SpongeBob on the floor. Thankfully, SpongeBob was light, or else he would've fallen and taken Setsuna with him.

Chibi-Usa didn't let go of her. "Are you okay?" Her eyes were wide with worry.

Setsuna couldn't help but chuckle.

She stomped on the ground but tightened her embrace. "This isn't funny. Something awful could've happened to you and SpongeBob if you'd fallen."

"I only lost my balance, Small Lady. Nothing serious."

"But are you okay?"

She suppressed another chuckle. Didn't want to offend the hyper-protective Chibi-Usa more. "I'm okay."

Chibi-Usa glared. "If you're gonna laugh every time I try and save you, then I won't save you again. I'll let you fall into oblivion."

Hotaru stood at the edge of the metal floor, near the place in which Setsuna had stood. "Where _does_ this pit lead to, SpongeBob?"

SpongeBob stepped to Hotaru's side. "Rumor has it that there are giant sharks down there. Or more powerful versions of Mermaid Man's and Barnacle Boy's attacks to destroy anyone who dares fall. Still others say that the underground area of the underground Mermalair is filled with Orbs of Confusion, which confuse anyone who touches them."

Ami cocked her head. "An underground for the underground?"

Chibi-Usa shuddered. "Those Orbs of Confusion sound awful. I hope we don't see them." 

"Ah, but used the right way, they're powerful weapons."

If they found members of the Dead Moon Circus and happened to have access to an Orb of Confusion, they could confuse their enemies.

"You guys are looking at each other again."

"Sorry, SpongeBob," Ami said. "We were planning in our heads."

"Like, telepathically? You're almost as cool as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."

"Were we all thinking the same thing, though?" Chibi-Usa said. "I mean, we do look at each other a lot, but I could be thinking of cats while Puu's thinking of the Space-Time Door."

"I'm not that deep, Small Lady. I could be thinking of why physics work the way that they do while you think of your past life." 

Chibi-Usa sunk. "That…doesn't help your argument."

"Fine," Hotaru said. "Let's not look at each other again."

The group stood in front of the disco floor, which hummed each time its squares lit up, becoming yellow and then darkening to red.

"Guess we found out the hard way not to touch the red squares," Chibi-Usa said.

SpongeBob kicked the floor. "I knew it, too, but in my excitement, I charged ahead."

Even though the disco floor stretched across the width of the metal floor, the patterns changed slowly, giving the group time to run across it. Also ahead of the group was a raised platform, where, at its sides, two poles intermittently pulsed electricity between them.

"Another example of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's ingenious." SpongeBob pointed at the poles. "Those are power generators, designed to keep villains at bay. Only the few and brave can get past those generators. Which, apparently, include the robots. They must be smarter than Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy anticipated."

The power generator pulsed energy slowly, giving infiltrators plenty of time to trespass. Easier if the infiltrator could fly.

The group climbed the platform, Chibi-Usa struggling and letting Setsuna help her up. Chibi-Usa did things that made her seem helpless to get Mamoru's and Setsuna's attention. Any excuse to spend more time with Chibi-Usa was fine with Setsuna.

As soon as they passed the power generators, SpongeBob staggered to a stop, eyes sharpening. The first time Setsuna had seen aggression from the sponge.

Ahead stood a robot holding a doghouse…? The robot was clad in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, completing the persona with a thick, curly mustache (these robots grew hair?). Smaller doglike robots yipped about, nipping and sniffing at the metal floor.

A bungee cord descended from the darkness above. At the end of the cord was a hook holding a square yellow cleaning sponge. One dog-bot jumped, chomping on the corner of the sponge and then exploding, taking a chunk of the sponge with it. Another jumped and then chomped another corner, burst, creating another hole in the sponge. The third did the same. The cowboy robot, Arf, who commanded the dog-bots, hurled a pebble at the last bit of the hanging sponge, and the bungee cord ascended, disappearing in the darkness.

"One of the infiltrators that must be vanquished." SpongeBob wheeled his arm, blew into his bubble wand, and a bubble bowling ball expanded in his hand. "How dare they defile the sacred ground called the Mermalair. I will end them all so they can no longer unleash their tyranny upon this land." Now SpongeBob was just speaking strangely.

SpongeBob bowled the ball as a dog-bot leaped from its doghouse, maw wide open. The ball bowled over the dog-bot, flattening it. A bubble flattening a robot. Setsuna had to figure out how and why this world worked.

The ball slammed into the Arf's leg, and the robot jumped, clutching its ankle. It floated back, away from the group, and cast out more dog-bots from its doghouse.

"My bubble bowl can't get out there." SpongeBob whisked his bubble wand over his head, and a bubble helmet expanded. "So I'll have to get out there."

Ami reached for SpongeBob. "SpongeBob, no!"

The helmet's rockets propelled the sponge toward the Arf and the dog-bots. Ami jumped into action. Usually, she wasn't the one to act first, preferring to stay in the background and think. That's what Setsuna liked the most about Ami. Now, Ami was acting like Sailor Jupiter when Sailor Mercury wasn't designed to act like Sailor Jupiter.

A hat-donning bubble stood at the top of the stairs, one of which the Arf had landed upon. Despite having no mouth and being a bubble, it cheered on SpongeBob and the Guardians.

SpongeBob's favorite superheroes had lost their wits too much, thinking that a live bubble could defeat these robots.

Perhaps it could. SpongeBob's bubble attacks regularly defeated robots.

"Mercury Aqua Mist!" A mist beat down on the group. At least Ami was being tactical. "Shine Snow Illusion!" An ice storm burst from her hands, toward the robots, freezing the dog-bots and the Arf.

"Mercury…" She outstretched her arms once more, and water swelled in her hands. "…Aqua Mirage!" The jets of water burst forth, swirled around the dog-bots and the Arf and squeezed. The dog-bots exploded; the Arf struggled for several seconds before exploding.

But SpongeBob kept flying.

Ami had been so focused on defeating the robot to gain Setsuna's already gained favor that she'd forgotten about SpongeBob.

He flailed. He may like the Mermalair, but he didn't like it so much that he wanted to fall in it.

"Yay, I'm falling into the trench," SpongeBob said. "I wonder what's down there." Maybe he _did_ want to fall.

The standing bubble danced to the side, dodging SpongeBob. "Sorry, SpongeBob. I'd catch ya, but, well, things probably wouldn't end well for me." A bubble with more common sense than most humans.

SpongeBob flew into a rainbow funnel sticking out of the trench. His giddy screams reverberated.

Ami flew toward SpongeBob. She'd been the one to cause the sponge's attack to fail, to not consider SpongeBob. Perhaps she thought it best if she saved him.

Ami's plan to impress Setsuna had backfired. Ami was trying to lose what Setsuna liked most about her, what made Ami unique and beautiful.

The funnel began flashing. Thanks to Ami, everyone was in danger.


	33. The Fog of War

**Chapter Thirty-three: The Fog of War**

Plankton had said that the Mermalair was hidden inside the Shady Shoals Rest Home, the tall building in the middle of Bikini Bottom. If it wasn't secret like he said, then maybe many fish hung around down there, distracted by the machines, making their dreams ripe for infiltrating.

CereCere couldn't wait to unleash havoc upon Bikini Bottom.

Sure, the Guardians were down there, too, but they'd be defeated as long as CereCere and Fisheye used the Lemures and robots.

CereCere pulled open the rest home's door, and they walked inside. Wrinkly fish littered the place, playing checkers with chess pieces, wheeling their motorized chairs in circles. A round geezer in a superhero's costume (must be delusional, thinking he was a superhero, likely how he ended up in a rest home) snored on the couch, a thin human with a giant nose tugging at his sleeve.

The big-nosed one groaned. "C'mon, ya old coot, we'll be late for our doctor's appointments."

A caretaker fiddled with the television's antenna, muttering that he didn't get paid enough to wash these old fish's butts and be a repairman, cook, and janitor at the same time.

Fisheye raised an eyebrow. "The Mermalair's in a place like this? Did Plankton trick us?"

"This is one of those things that's so out there, it's impossible to make up," CereCere said. "Plankton _thinks_ we're a little stupid—more stupid than him, at least—but he knows we're not stupid enough to fall for a lie like that. So it must be true. Look around carefully. The entrance could be anywhere."

"I'm not seeing anything but a bunch of old people." He fanned his nose. "Smelling them, too." He pointed to the man snoring on the couch, his friend begging him to wake up. "They look like superheroes. Let's ask them."

"Augh, I can't believe you fell asleep as soon as you sat down," the big-nosed one said. "You shouldn't have sat in the first place, but no, you wanted to see if the T.V was working even when it clearly isn't."

CereCere and Fisheye walked toward the duo. The caretaker zipped in front of them, CereCere nearly slapping the fish out of instinct.

"Excuse me," the caretaker said. "Who are you? You can't just waltz in here."

"We can, and we did," CereCere said. "You can do that at any rest home." She thought. She'd never heard of a rest home before coming to Bikini Bottom, whittling away her time training and performing for the circus. The caretaker didn't know her from Adam, so she could be whoever in front of him. Since she was here…

"Not here," the caretaker shot back, CereCere almost darkening at the man's aggression, a contrast from the Japanese. "Here, you have to make an appointment. We have famous people here."

"Who?" Fisheye said.

"What's it to you?" The caretaker glanced at the two superhero costume-clad men. All the answer they needed.

CereCere shrugged. "Not much. We're only the T.V. repair people."

The round human's eyes shot open. "T.V. repair people?" His eyes darted to CereCere and Fisheye. "Don't give them any trouble."

"We didn't get any call from a television repair company," the caretaker said. "Usually, they'd call first before they came and stared at the T.V. for a few minutes and then told us that they wouldn't be able to help and be useless."

"We were in the neighborhood and heard through our T.V. repair heroes network that you had a problem with the reception that no one could figure out how to fix," CereCere said, "so we decided to drop by and help you out. Thing is, we need our payment in advance."

The caretaker took in CereCere, her bare clothing. "You don't look like you're here to repair anything."

"Like I said, we just dropped by. We were off-duty but needed some extra cash."

"Off-duty. Like police officers."

"Yes. Our services are just as urgent. What would people do without T.V.? It's essential for life."

"These two have their priorities straight," the round geezer said.

The caretaker scowled. "Fine. Anything to get Mermaid Man to stop complaining about where the funny little men with the coconuts are."

"How about a down payment first?"

The caretaker stomped behind the double doors leading to the cafeteria, mumbling about robbers taking over the world.

CereCere gestured toward herself. "We'll need the remote control."

Mermaid Man bounded onto his feet. "Gladly."

"Wait, ya old coot," the big-nosed one said. "Do these guys look like they repair T.V.s for a living?"

Mermaid Man stopped, _stopped,_ damn it, and squinted. "Um…erm… You know my eyes are going bad, son." He held a remote control, and CereCere snatched it away. Perhaps the remote was the secret to reaching the Mermalair, especially since Mermaid Man was obsessed with the television. The big-nosed one must be the sidekick, Barnacle Boy, who was decades past boyhood.

Barnacle Boy reached toward CereCere. "That's not the T.V. remote. That's—"

His panic told CereCere all she needed to know. She pushed the button.

A crank pumped up the couch, revealing a tunnel. CereCere jumped down, Fisheye behind her. They slid down the tunnel.

Time to unleash more chaos.

* * *

While Sailor Pluto used her wits to take action, Sailor Mercury preferred to stay behind and plan her next move. Ami wanted to become more aggressive, so she'd tried, only for her to cause trouble.

In her selfishness, her desire to impress Setsuna, she'd forgotten about SpongeBob and had become reckless, attacking without studying the situation, the consequences of her actions.

Now SpongeBob was paying for her mistake. Setsuna must be disappointed.

 _Stop thinking about Setsuna. Focus on SpongeBob, on the mess you made._

Ami had let the funnel eat SpongeBob. Nevertheless, analysis froze her; she debated whether she should save SpongeBob by flying into the funnel or by studying its weaknesses before attacking.

If she attacked the funnel, then she might hurt SpongeBob. The sponge didn't feel physical attacks, but that didn't mean Ami's water couldn't hurt him.

Buzzing, the funnel contracted, like it was going to blast out SpongeBob or his remains, his tattered shirt, tie, and squeaky shoes bursting forth.

Setsuna raised her rod, likely thinking about how the speed at which SpongeBob fell determined the way to save him. She aimed her rod at the middle of the funnel. "Dead Scream." Energy blasted from her rod, halving the funnel. A crack traveled down and split the funnel open, revealing the falling sponge. Setsuna flew, grabbed SpongeBob by the arms, and carried him to the surface, near Bubble Buddy. Glitter filled SpongeBob's eyes.

She placed him on his feet, the sponge saying, "What little I saw of the famed underground of the underground was simply amazing. All the colors of the rainbow…" He shuddered. "Ooh, sparkly." He smiled at Setsuna. "Even though you did break part of the Mermalair, have no fear of punishment from Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. They will restore their lair to its former glory."

Setsuna forced a smile for SpongeBob. Ami cringed; Setsuna must be replaying Ami's foolishness. Chibi-Usa's and Hotaru's eyes burned into their backs, watching Ami's and Setsuna's reactions. The youngest Guardians hadn't helped, but they hadn't caused problems, either.

At least Ami's recklessness hadn't had other consequences.

Until the sirens went off, and the Mermalair flashed yellow and red.

Chibi-Usa whipped her head about. "Now what's happening?"

SpongeBob's eyes brightened more. "Congratulations! You've tripped the security alarm. We will now be subject to the Mermalair's defense system, compliments of the Mermalair's supercomputer that we're looking for." He squealed. "She probably won't like us after she figures out that we're the ones who are supposed to be saving the Mermalair."

Ami wanted to shrink into a nonexistent dot.

Clear balls fell from the ceiling. SpongeBob gasped. "Look. This time, you've activated the Orbs of Confusion." He clapped his hands. "This is so exciting."

Now the Guardians were going to be confused. Ami wanted to fall down the funnel and never come back up.

"Looks like every switch is activated, too. We'll soon be so confused we won't be able to function." He sounded too excited about the bad things that were about be befall the group.

Chibi-Usa turned toward the entrance. "I strongly suggest that we leave."

"I think we can destroy these." Hotaru pointed her Silence Glaive toward the orbs.

The Orbs pulsed out ultrasonic waves. Hotaru froze. Her eyes lost what little brightness they had, like she'd died.

Ami's mistake couldn't have been the indirect cause of Hotaru's death. Could it? If so, Ami needed to find hell and stay there.

Drool leaked from the corner of Hotaru's mouth.

Chibi-Usa gaped. "Is she regressing into a toddler?"

Hotaru grinned, like she didn't have sense. "Duh… Duh… Duh…" She said it over and over.

Ami's mind blanked. The Orbs' powers were gripping her.

Setsuna dropped her Garnet Rod, drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. Even her.

This couldn't be happening.

Chibi-Usa chuckled to herself, drooling. No, no, no.

This whole situation was kind of funny. Even the standing bubble was drooling, and it didn't have a mouth or a brain.

Everything around Ami was rippling like water even though she _was_ underwater… Something else for her to study.

The ripples must signify the range that the Orbs were affecting. Ami had to get out of there before the confusion overtook her. How quickly Hotaru and Setsuna had become brainless. Ami wasn't losing her brain as quickly, but she had to move.

Not knowing where to run, Ami ran in circles, clutching her head and screaming because she was so confused she didn't know what to do.

Behind her and the rest of the Guardians, from the entrance, ran two familiar people, one with pink hair wearing a two-piece acrobat's outfit, the other with blue hair, in a jumpsuit. They reached for the Guardians and SpongeBob. Ami did the only thing she knew to do whenever she was confronted with strangers.

She released a jet of water from the palm of her hand, the water slamming into the two. They flew backward, crashed against the wall. The ripples reached them, and their eyes dulled. They began drooling, too.

What was going on? Metal surrounded Ami, and everyone was chanting, "Duh," and drooling.

Had to be something she could do. SpongeBob had said that switches were activated. These Orbs were operating because of switches? What kinds of switches? Switches like branches or switches like light switches?

Did this machine-filled place have trees and birds and flying clams? If Ami could climb a tree, then she'd get a good vantage point so that she'd understand what was happening. Why didn't this lab have trees? Made no sense.

Setsuna grasped Ami's wrist. Her eyes were watering, and she bit her tongue. Didn't that hurt?

"I-I'm trying to stay…" Setsuna ground out. Talking while biting your tongue. Befuddling things, this woman did. "Trying to keep my sense…" She shut her eyes, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. "So hard to resist. We, we have to move. Move quickly. Now." Grabbed her head. "Durr, I don't understand anything."

Ami had never heard Setsuna _durr_ before. Another trait that Ami should copy. Or should she? Everything was nothing, the sky was not blue, the grass reflected the sea's waves.

"Duh, move Fisheye," said that girl who copied Chibi-Usa's hair color even though she hated Chibi-Usa.

"Derm, why me? Why you no move?"

"I'm the leader. Or am I? I don't know why I don't move. I don't know why I don't know."

How was Ami supposed to get anything done when everyone was stupefied? The mesmerizing waves compelled Ami to stay, confused with everyone else. But why? How durr-ing and stupid, with the scientific evidence that the theory of everything didn't exist.

Ami tried moving again, and she didn't move in circles this time but everything made more sense than it did before because Setsuna was drooling and durr-ing and thinking that, surely, the evidence of the atom with all the fixings wasn't real.

Ami found herself running. She bumped into a few walls—or were they walls?—and bounced off and danced because there were disco floors and Ami didn't know what disco was but the name disco sounded like something to dance to so she danced down the stairs, toward the bright, scientific rainbow funnel.

A switch hung above, so she reached but couldn't reach and nothing was happening even though she reached. Why? Why was she drooling? Drooling felt good but it was messy.

"Keep moving, lady," Setsuna said from behind Ami. Ami didn't know where Setsuna was coming from because Setsuna was everywhere and nowhere at once. Setsuna lifted Ami even though Ami could fly so why was Setsuna touching her where she didn't need to be touched?

Ami reached for the switch and Chibi-Usa and Hotaru and SpongeBob kept on drooling but then that guy who was copying Ami's hair color was near them and he stared at them for a little bit and then black spiky balls started flying from his jumpsuit like he was defecating in midair, and Ami hoped she never did such an inhumane thing in front of other people but then the results from the copycat's midair defecation started to swirl around Ami and cackle. His results were alive, too. More impressive than the number that he'd produced.

The balls engulfed Ami and Setsuna. Ami saw images of her father and her mother shouting in each other's faces. What could they have to argue about? They were happily married. They'd never fought in front of her. Maybe things between them had become so bad that they couldn't suppress their feelings anymore.

Ami was reliving the nightmares Fisheye had inflicted upon her at her home, above ground. Now the Orbs of Confusion were muddling her brain. Somehow, Ami flew in the real world, but the nightmare world captivated her, like watching a movie that chronicled her breaking life.

Why were her parents shouting at each other, the Orbs of Confusion activated? Why was she being reckless?

Regardless, her parents were right in front of her. She could stop their divorce, and she and her mother and her father could keep living as a family instead of Ami and her mother hardly seeing Ami's father.

When _was_ the last time Ami had seen her father? Sending his paintings wasn't the same thing as seeing him in person. Besides, he hadn't sent many recently.

 _Because he doesn't care about you, Ami._

Where had that voice come from? Maybe the Orbs of Confusion could talk, able to be understood, unlike her arguing parents, whose voices echoed but were muffled simultaneously.

Dream… Those spiky balls had put her to sleep. She was sleeping in midair. With Setsuna still carrying her. Was Setsuna watching a movie of her own life?

Her father disappeared, replaced by a different man who locked his dirty lips on her mother's. Ami had to stop this strange man, but she couldn't move. Could her confusion be rendering her immobile?

The man looked at her, his eyes blank. Cruel. "That's not your daughter, is it?"

"No, not at all."

Ami lost her breath, her heart shattering.

"All she does is study. What kind of daughter has she been to me?"

They could see her but talked about her like she wasn't there, like their insults didn't pierce like spears.

"When my husband left me, she shut herself inside her room and studied all day and night. She left me alone when I needed her most."

Hadn't Ami comforted her mother as best she could? She hadn't been reclusive…had she?

Either the Orbs of Confusion were still working, or Ami was genuinely confused. She could no longer tell what was real, what mind-state was real, what wasn't real. Her mother and this stranger looked lifelike. Ami could slap the man for suggesting that she wasn't her mother's daughter.

Ami could cry for her mother disowning her for a man who'd leave as quickly as her real father had.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ami's father appeared, painting.

 _He's not painting for you._ That voice again. _He's painting for his new family, his new daughter. She's giving this painting to her, not you. You're not his daughter anymore._

Ami's head throbbed. Her confusion and torn heart were because of the nightmare, not the Orbs.

Ami's mother and father had moved on, leaving Ami to fend for herself, to make sense of everything that had happened when she couldn't do it alone. Her mother and father had found others to love them.

 _Because you weren't there to love them when they needed you._

Ami had shut herself in her room, studying, like her mother had told that stranger. Ami had no one.

In front of her appeared Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa, teasing, embracing one another.

Loving one another.

Ami didn't have anyone who loved her. She pined after love. But who'd love her?

Fisheye appeared. He would do. If her mother could love a stranger, then so could Ami.

She stood on her toes to show that she loved him. For him to show that he loved her.

"Ami!"

Ami's eyes shot open. When had her eyes closed?

She was back in the Mermalair, hovering alongside Setsuna. With her Garnet Rod, a sweating Setsuna struck the spiky balls, dissipating them.

The Orbs of Confusion kept emitting their waves, but Ami didn't feel as confused. Perhaps they were wearing off.

Here Setsuna was, saving Ami again. Showing that she loved Ami.

All this time, Ami had had someone who loved her. She didn't need to go searching for it. Just by being herself, she'd made friends with people who'd die for her, whose love for her conquered the Orbs' confusing effect and Fisheye's induced hallucinations to save her. Something that Ami hadn't been able to do herself.

"Ami, you were dreaming." Setsuna struck more Lemures. Below, Fisheye grit his teeth. He couldn't reach them from the floor. Chibi-Usa shook her head rapidly, and Hotaru's eyes cleared. The younger Guardians were coming out of the Orbs' haze. SpongeBob still drooled, though.

Thanks to Setsuna, several Orbs had shattered, weakening their effect. The Lemures were attacking in full force, strengthening. Perhaps the Orbs had been affecting them, too.

CereCere glowered. "Fisheye, don't give up. You're underwater, in your home. You can't let the humans take it over."

Fisheye's eyes sharpened. "That's right. This is _my_ home. I won't let these humans destroy it like they destroy everything else." He outstretched an arm, and more Lemures flew from his sleeve.

"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" A trail of hearts slammed into Fisheye, bending him over and nearly felling him onto his face.

Fisheye whipped around, facing Chibi-Usa. Glanced at Hotaru beside her, the Guardian of Destruction aiming her Glaive toward Fisheye. Ami focused on CereCere. The trapeze artist had been indirectly responsible for Ami's hallucination. She'd end CereCere and Fisheye for deceiving her.

Despite his earlier declaration, Fisheye stepped back, outnumbered and outpowered. The Amazoness Quartet hadn't given the Amazon Trio powers of their own.

Fisheye had been a fish. Could he, too, gain powers underwater?

He raised a trembling hand. Trembling with anger or with fear? "Come on," he whispered.

A blue orb appeared in his outstretched hand, the palm facing Ami. A jet of water beamed from Fisheye's hand. He had copied Ami's Shine Aqua Illusion.

Ami wasn't going to let Setsuna defend her this time, make sure that an imitator of her attack wouldn't distract Setsuna.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" The train-sized water jetted out of Sailor Mercury's hand, drowning Fisheye's attack. Above, CereCere moved, but Ami didn't look; she was focused on destroying Fisheye for manipulating her dreams, exploiting her loneliness, convincing her that no one loved her.

The Dead Moon Circus wasn't out to only destroy the Moon Kingdom. They aimed to fill the world with nightmares.

Dreams were too important for Sailor Mercury to let villains transform them into nightmares. Dreams gave people hope. Dreams gave people goals. Dreams gave people things to live for.

Dreams made people better.

Ami studied a lot so that she would increase her knowledge. When the time came to apply that knowledge, to save and protect her friends, she would understand their enemies' and her friends' strengths and weaknesses, how to use the environment in which they fought to their advantage.

Ami's dream was to become more knowledgeable, to use her power of intelligence to know the enemy better than the enemy knew itself, to wield that knowledge like a sword and strike down the enemy.

Fisheye hollered. A female holler mixed with Fisheye's. CereCere?

Black energy blasted upward. That black energy…from Sailor Saturn? Ami hadn't heard Sailor Saturn call out an attack.

Smoke filled the area. Two silhouettes flew, darting through the smoke and then disappearing. Had CereCere and Fisheye survived not only Sailor Mercury's Shine Aqua Illusion but also Sailor Saturn's attack?

The blast of energy sliced through the air. A shattering noise boomed, and shards rained. Ami shielded herself under her arms, shards bouncing off, some cutting her.

Below, SpongeBob stopped drooling, his eyes clearing. Ami peered up. Sailor Saturn's attack had destroyed the Orbs of Confusion, stopping their effects.

Setsuna still hovered beside her. "Are you okay?"

Despite her newfound strength, Ami found herself blushing. "Yes, I am. A-are you?" She'd caused the mess, was unsure whether Fisheye and CereCere were finished.

"I am. They tried to make me think that guarding the Space-Time Door made me neglect my friends, but I quickly realized that dream wasn't real." Setsuna's eyes softened. "You saved me from Fisheye. Thank you."

Warmth took root in Ami's chest. "You're welcome. I, I mean, it's our job to protect one another. So you don't have to thank me or anything."

"Ami, there's no need to be embarrassed. Everyone makes mistakes. You don't have to prove yourself to me or anyone. I like you the way you are. That's why I was excited and honored that you wanted to team up with me. Twice."

The warmth in Ami's chest blossomed. Setsuna liked Ami for being Ami. Such a simple fact, such a big deal.

"What happened?" SpongeBob said. The smoke was clearing, making him visible. "Why was I drooling?" His wiped his mouth on his sleeve, Bubble Buddy scrubbing at his nonexistent mouth.

"I don't know what happened." Chibi-Usa clenched and unclenched her hands, making sure that they existed. "I was really confused and then I was sort of confused and then I wasn't confused."

"My understanding of what happened is your understanding of what happened, Chibi-Usa-chan," Hotaru said.

SpongeBob snapped his fingers. "That's right, we had the blessing of being cursed by the Orb of Confusion. Multiple ones, at that. Not everyone trips the Mermalair's alarm, guys. We should be proud."

Ami's tripping the alarm had led to her destroying her fears, so maybe her recklessness hadn't been entirely bad, bringing her and Setsuna closer, boosting her confidence.

Nevertheless, she wouldn't be reckless again. Things may have turned out well this time, but maybe not next time.

"Anyway, we'd better keep going," Setsuna said. "The Dead Moon Circus left, but that doesn't mean they've given up. They may be waiting for a more opportune time to attack."

Ami had overcome her nightmare, but she had a long way to go. With her knowledge, her intelligence, she'd become a full-fledged Guardian and protect her friends.

Sure-footed, she faced the tunnel leading to the Mermalair's main chamber, the direction in which their enemies had retreated.

She would not let the Dead Moon Circus manipulate anyone's dreams again.


	34. Oxygen Thief

**Chapter Thirty-four: Oxygen Thief**

Fisheye hated losing. Especially to those damn Guardians.

CereCere and Fisheye had escaped deeper into the Mermalair. Even with Fisheye's newfound water blasting power, they couldn't defeat the Guardians, much less fight evenly.

The Dead Moon Circus always lagged behind the Guardians. Their enemies had broken through the power of their Lemures and those Orbs while CereCere and Fisheye could barely function.

When the two reached the security tunnel, a slow-blinking snail stood at the entrance, staring at them, unafraid.

"What's a snail doing all the way down here?" Fisheye said. "I don't think snails would enjoy tunnels. I mean, I've never seen them in my home, but my home is radically different than Bikini Bottom."

CereCere touched a finger on her chin. "Maybe this snail belongs to someone. Like that sponge or starfish. We could take it hostage. Cliché, but it might be the only leverage we gain against the Guardians."

"Yes, Master." Taking hostages had a high failure rate, but perhaps things would turn out well this time.

Fisheye's job was to do the dirty work, like carrying snails that slithered on filthy floors, so Fisheye swiped the slimy snail, the thing squirming, biting at him, but Fisheye bore the pain.

CereCere and Fisheye continued deeper into the Mermalair's security area. There had to be something, anything else they could use. Everyone had weaknesses. It was only a matter of time until the Dead Moon Circus exploited the Guardians'.

* * *

Thank goodness Hotaru had ended the Orbs of Confusion. Those long minutes that the Orbs had been activated made Chibi-Usa behave like a cretin instead of a princess. Thankfully, no one had seen Chibi-Usa drooling or her thoughts of giant monkey men and Helios grazing in a field of tapioca.

Saying he needed to recover from being confused and was in no shape to help anyone, Bubble Buddy left the Mermalair, and the group ran through the tunnel leading to the Mermalair's main chamber. SpongeBob explained that only one Orb of Confusion was enough to incapacitate someone, but clustered ones could fill an area with confusion.

"How did you break free from the confusing waves?" SpongeBob stuck his face inches from Setsuna's, eyes alight. Either not minding or inbred with politeness, Puu didn't move away from SpongeBob. "The Orb of Confusion was devised by the two most powerful superheroes in Bikini Bottom history. Multiple ones should've made it so no one could even move. But you, Ami, and Fisheye were able to get your wits about you. How? How?" He fluttered, pressed his face closer to Setsuna's.

"I concentrated on saving Ami, you, Small Lady, and Hotaru." Puu had told the group that Fisheye tried manipulating her dreams, too, but quickly been unsuccessful, Setsuna realizing what was happening and breaking free by focusing on her friends instead. Chibi-Usa needed to grow unselfish like Puu.

By the paleness on Ami's face when she'd come out of her hallucinations, her emotions had been wrung. Ami remained tight-lipped about the details. Whatever had happened was private, something that should be respected. The only thing Ami said was that Fisheye had injected false events into her dream, making her think that she wasn't loved. What a powerful enemy.

Hopefully, the enemy didn't gain ground over Chibi-Usa's dreams of being with Helios forever. After all, the small Guardian was the only one who could save him. Finally, something she alone could do, not Sailor Moon, not Tuxedo Mask, not any of the other Guardians. She was strong enough to be sought after for her power, not because she was the daughter of the Moon Kingdom's future queen.

As much as she loved her parents, it was a relief to be with neither of them now. To stand on her own with two of her best friends.

Speaking of Hotaru… "Hotaru-chan, did you get a new attack?" That attack had been amazingly destructive. Made sense since she was also known as the Goddess of Destruction.

Hotaru nodded. "It's called Silence Glaive Surprise. I tried to use it on our enemies back in Japan, but it didn't work thanks to that vortex we were in. I held back a little down here because I didn't want to destroy the Mermalair." She smiled. "To be honest, I wasn't sure how powerful it was or what exactly the attack was going to do. But I launched it anyway."

Chibi-Usa gasped. "Hotaru, reckless?"

Hotaru stuck out her tongue. "A little."

A light shone ahead.

Quickening, SpongeBob said, "Here it comes." His shoes' squeaks echoed throughout the tunnel. "The Mermalair's main chamber, where the real fun'll begin."

Chibi-Usa cupped her forehead. More "fun" than the Orbs of Confusion?

SpongeBob skidded to a stop, Chibi-Usa nearly barreling into the sponge. The rest of her team stopped behind her.

He spread his arms. "Welcome to the Mermalair, the secret fortress of Bikini Bottom's favorite, and only, crinkly superheroes, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. See it and be astounded."

The cave was the biggest Chibi-Usa had ever been in, much less seen. Not that she had seen any, but this one had to be one of the biggest in the world.

Chibi-Usa craned her neck upward. Couldn't see the ceiling—looked to be a neverending expanse of darkness. Even with the green-glowing, fuzz-filled computer monitors around that lit the Mermalair, she couldn't see what was up there.

The cave had two levels. On the first were several round, metal platforms, disco floors about (serving as part of the Mermalair's security system that the robots had rigged—according to SpongeBob, the disco floors shouldn't have been on since the superheroes were strong enough to protect the Mermalair, but the duo probably couldn't protect themselves from a fly) and, above, a sitting area where Mermaid Man snored in front of a television, reclining in an armchair.

"He got back from his doctor's appointment quick," Chibi-Usa said.

"But of course," SpongeBob said. "Our heroes may be almost deaf, their hearts might be on the verge of failure, and their bunions may throb and swell with each passing year, but they're among the healthiest in Bikini Bottom."

Chibi-Usa shuddered. "Growing bunions…"

Above, two clear tubes snaked from one of the circular platforms, where cylinders encircled the platform's rim. Looked like water traveled inside.

"SpongeBob, what are those tubes for?" Ami said.

"They carry water. Since there's saltwater everywhere, the Mermalair is powered by saltwater. Our heroes are so smart, they decided to use a practically unlimited resource instead of electricity to power their Mermalair. That way, when the power goes out, the Mermalair won't be affected."

"Very smart," Setsuna said. Indeed it was. Especially from two senile, washed-up superheroes. Although they might have come up with the system when they were younger, sharper.

Had Mermaid Man ever had his wits about him? Watching him snore in the recliner, muttering about tapioca, it was hard to believe that he used to be an intelligent human being. Maybe he had been a genius once but had gone off the deep end from living in Bikini Bottom.

If she stayed in Bikini Bottom long enough, could Chibi-Usa lose her sanity? Barnacle Boy hadn't lost his wits, but he'd grown grouchy. Another side effect of living in Bikini Bottom? Or had age ravaged them?

 _No, Chibi-Usa, you said you weren't gonna think about it._ Especially the creaking knees. Must never think of those again. Plus, she was 902 years old. If age hadn't shriveled her up yet, then maybe it never would.

Above, on another metal circular platform stood Barnacle Boy, where a water-filled globe was erect atop a machine with a green-screened computer, metal tubes snaking from the globe into the machine. In front of the machine's monitor, Barnacle Boy rubbed his chin.

Chibi-Usa couldn't take the enormous, buzzing, busy Mermalair in at once, with its machines showing that same snowy green screen, the dripping water. Since they were engulfed in saltwater, perhaps the machines had been constructed to be waterproof so that they wouldn't short-circuit.

Squidward stood at the entrance to the main chamber, massaging his bald head. "How on earth did I get myself in here?"

From her brief interaction with Squidward in his tiki, the octopus wasn't the type to bother himself with others' grievances. But here he was, in the robot-filled Mermalair.

SpongeBob slid to a halt before him. "Squidward, am I happy to see you. I can feel my happiness all the way in the back of my elbow."

Squidward twitched. "I can feel my irritation pulsing all the way in the back of my head."

"D'aww, as kind as always."

"Well, I _am_ a little happy you're here. At least now, you can go to the Mermalair Computer yourself instead of me doing it. Those two old, cranky superheroes got the idea in their head that I have the athleticism to climb up these walls and reach that Mermalair Computer. I mean, look at me." He twirled in a circle. "Do I, the graceful, elegant, artistic Squidward look like the type to do all this running and climbing, especially in a place like this, with not even a throw rug to add some décor in this wasted space?" His eyes settled on the Guardians. "And you brought your human friends." His grin came out as a grimace. "Two new ones. Even better. They can fly right up there." He pointed to the corner of the cave, where a computer with three screens had been constructed. That _was_ a long way to run, hop, skip, and jump. But flying took a lot of energy, too, and they needed to destroy a swath of robots.

"I'm Setsuna Meioh. It sounds like you know about our powers already."

"Oh, I more than know about them. I had the pleasure of being subjected to one of your friend's so-called 'healing' power. Made those jellyfish stings worse and almost tore off my delicate, radiant skin. I have a very specific, three-hour skin routine at the end of the day, and it was almost washed away in two seconds thanks to that girl's power."

Didn't seem like his three-hour skin routine was doing much good for the clammy Squidward.

"In the end," SpongeBob said, "we did get the Jellyfish Jelly for Squidward to heal himself with."

Squidward's eyes softened. "Which I do appreciate." A soft spot in the octopus? SpongeBob was right. Squidward was squishy inside.

"I'm Hotaru Tomoe." Telling him that she wielded destructive powers might not go over well.

Squidward turned away, not acknowledging her or introducing himself in return. "Good luck getting out of here." He gazed at the entrance. "Goodness knows I'll need it."

"One of us can escort you back," Ami said.

Squidward scowled. "I'd rather be stung by a hundred jellyfish than be touched by one of you again. What next? A so-called massaging power that sends electricity down your spine to soothe you?" He waved his hand, walking toward the exit to their left. "Nope, I'll escort my own self, thank you very much." As rude as he could be. Escorting didn't mean touching.

"Squidward, wait," SpongeBob said. "Do you want the booby trapped or non-booby trapped exit?"

"Non-booby trapped, please." He didn't miss a step, marching onward like he knew where the non-booby-trapped exit was. But he looked over his shoulder, at SpongeBob, for guidance.

SpongeBob pointed to the right, where the tunnel split into one path, an exit sign pointing in that direction. A second pointed to the left. In the middle was where the Guardians and SpongeBob had entered the main chamber. A metal door slammed, blocking the way the Guardians and SpongeBob had come. Another part of the Mermalair's security system? "Then go that way."

Squidward turned, walking down the path SpongeBob had said, disappearing in the tunnel. His screams filled the area, joined by noises of tree branches breaking, a saw scraping against metal, a chainsaw roaring, water dumping, punctuated by an explosion. Had Squidward fallen?

SpongeBob cocked his head. "Or maybe it was the other way."

A darkened Squidward crawled from the darkness, coughing smoke, hair the same color as his skin sticking out of his formerly bald head.

SpongeBob pointed to his head. "Hey, the booby traps made you grow hair. Congratulations, Squidward."

Squidward's eyes watered. "This, this isn't hair."

A chill ran down Chibi-Usa's spine. Could not think about what that "hair" truly was, or she wouldn't sleep for many nights.

"I think…I'll stay here for the foreseeable future."

Chibi-Usa cringed. If only she had a healing power like Sailor Moon did.

Like Sailor Moon… Sailor Chibi-Moon didn't have Sailor Moon's powers. Shouldn't she have inherited most of Sailor Moon's attacks since she was Sailor Moon's daughter? Yes, she sharedattacks with Sailor Moon, but she didn't possess any of Sailor Moon's powers by herself.

With her weaknesses, how could Sailor Chibi-Moon be the maiden that Helios sought?

Nevertheless, he needed her, not Sailor Moon. Chibi-Usa had something that Usagi didn't.

Maybe Helios would come again, infuse her with healing powers that rivaled Sailor Moon's so that she could heal the booby trap-addled Squidward.

Maybe Helios would ride in again to save her.

Maybe Helios would come again just to see her.

Chibi-Usa's heart skipped. She'd love to see him again.

Squidward blinked, eyes distant. Hopefully, he would get over his pain soon. The group had to continue.

Leaving Squidward puffing smoke, the Guardians and SpongeBob ran forward, not bothering to fly, lest they miss an intricacy or hidden area. Sometimes, when in the air, things became so small that Chibi-Usa couldn't distinguish between them, so she overlooked crucial things.

They jumped onto a long metal walkway that led to nowhere, a circular platform feet away from it. At the end of the walkway, a turnstile lay on the ground, a bowling pattern decorating its spindles. SpongeBob wheeled his arm, and a bubble bowl inflated in his hand. He bowled the ball into one of the spindles, turning the turnstile. The walkway turned, jostling Chibi-Usa and knocking her into Puu. Chibi-Usa held to Puu until the walkway stopped, its end leading to the spinning circular metal platform. Electric wands dotted the platform, compliments of the security system.

Hotaru ran onto the spinning platform, dodging the wands like they were nothing. SpongeBob was close on her heels, more from excitement than protectiveness.

There were so many platforms to jump onto, to ride, so many buttons that everything blurred. The Mermalair was all one color, so running through it wasn't exciting. The running and jumping, especially since they were climbing up the entire time, made Chibi-Usa's legs ache within seconds. Maybe flying wouldbe easier.

Not many robots roamed about. Perhaps the moving platforms made them retreat. Chibi-Usa didn't blame the robots. Wished she could lay down or have Mamoru carry her.

On the other hand, SpongeBob seemed to gain energy the more running and jumping they did, speeding up. If only the sponge could share that energy with Chibi-Usa.

Up and up they went, everywhere seeming the same. Although her face was laced with stoicism, Puu's eyes were bright, the Guardian excited to be exploring an underwater lab. Ami looked around like she'd awoken in a different universe. Hotaru's facial expression was stoic, too, but somberness lurked within, her thoughts plagued with remembrances of the lab where her father had experimented on her, almost leading to her death by not only her own father, but also the Guardians. Thank goodness they had cleared everything up, would die to protect one another.

Then they reached the slide.

SpongeBob clapped his hands. "Ooh, the famed slide. A short one, but famed nonetheless."

"Why's it famous?" Hotaru said.

"Because it's in the Mermalair. Everything in the Mermalair is famous." He bent down, plucked up a piece of dirt. "Even this speck of dust."

"Uh-huh." Chibi-Usa peered down the slope. Flying might be better than sliding. When she was younger, she loved slides, but sliding in Bikini Bottom… The slide could be alive, open up and swallow the group whole.

SpongeBob jumped, lolled out his tongue, and fell, tongue-first, onto the slide.

He slid with his tongue.

Just when Chibi-Usa thought she'd seen the weirdest thing, something else topped it.

At this point, if Helios turned out to be a gopher instead of a horse or human, she wouldn't be surprised. It'd be Bikini Bottom's fault. When she couldn't explain something, blame it on Bikini Bottom.

Chibi-Usa took to the air. "I don't know about you all, but I'm flying." No way was she going to slide on a sponge's saliva.

Ami was right behind her, hovering a millisecond after Chibi-Usa took to the air. "Same. I've had experience with slides. The experience has not been good." Said nothing more. Showed how traumatic her experience had been.

"Aww, you guys dun wanna come wit' me?" SpongeBob's voice grew more distant as he slid farther from the Guardians.

"We're fine, SpongeBob," Chibi-Usa said. "We'll meet you down there."

Once he reached the bottom of the slide, he jumped, but he didn't aim correctly and slammed, headfirst, into an electric wand on the rotating circular platform. He flashed, showing his skeletonless inside. Must be because he was a sponge. Creepy, nonetheless.

Here Chibi-Usa was, thinking about how creepy a sponge's insides were when the sponge in question was being electrocuted, possibly to death.

Chibi-Usa flew toward SpongeBob. While SpongeBob was being electrocuted, he kept flying forward, whisking over Mermaid Man in his recliner, the superhero snoring louder.

SpongeBob slammed into a button on a machine, brightening the light atop the machine. The sponge flipped onto the floor, over and over, the electricity around him subsiding. Chibi-Usa rushed to his side, the rest of her fellow Guardians joining her. SpongeBob's eyes were blank, and he continued to writhe, moaning. At least he wasn't foaming at the mouth.

Mermaid Man startled awake. "Evil?" He jumped onto his feet, his glazed eyes, pupils as small as pinpricks, darting every which way. "Evil!" He faced SpongeBob.

"Uh-oh," Ami said.

"What do you mean, 'Uh-oh'?" Chibi-Usa said.

A water ball formed in Mermaid Man's hands. "Prawn, you evil being, be vanquished." The water ball expanded into the size of three beach balls combined.

"He's stronger than last time," Ami said. That's right; according to her, he'd gone crazy in Jellyfish Fields, against the robots. He must've been dreaming about evil.

If Chibi-Usa asked, then maybe Helios would save SpongeBob.

She clasped her hands, bowed her head, shut her eyes. "Please, Helios, come save us."

No light filled the area. Mermaid Man kept chanting, "Evil." Chibi-Usa dared part her eyes. Hotaru, Puu, and Ami stared at her like she'd lost her mind. Instead of helping SpongeBob by moving her body instead of her mouth, she was making a likely fatal error.

Coming to the rescue again, Setsuna flew, scooping SpongeBob into her arms as Sailor Mercury said, "Mercury Aqua Mist!" A mist beat down in the Mermalair.

"Huh? What?" Mermaid Man's voice. The former superhero couldn't accurately throw the water ball if he couldn't see. "What happened to the T.V.?" No longer concerned with the nonexistent threat that was SpongeBob.

Chibi-Usa's cheeks glowed red, a flare that alerted everyone to her embarrassment at being, once again, useless. Worse, calling someone else to do what she should've done herself.

Where'd she gotten the idea to pray to Helios? He lived in another world, maybe another dimension, but still…

She hurried to Mermaid Man, hoping none of her fellow Guardians could see her blush. "Are you okay?"

Mermaid Man whipped his head around, eyes crazed. "The evil, has it been vanquished?"

"Yup." Chibi-Usa managed to wink. "You defeated all the evil in the world, Mermaid Man."

"Yes, it is done. No, no, it isn't. I need to be able to sleep. All those buttons need to be pressed. It is truly evil to not be able to get any sleep."

A charred SpongeBob wobbled over. "Yes, your awesome superheroliness. I will press the buttons for you." He flopped onto his stomach. Unconscious. No button-pressing for him.

Letting SpongeBob rest, the Guardians pushed the buttons, lighting the funnel machines. Took about a minute for them to fly over the obstacles, one cannon shooting black boulders as big as Chibi-Usa's head, counting her pigtails, that would've knocked Chibi-Usa out.

Maybe she could put herself in one of those boulders' trajectories so that Helios would come. She didn't want him to abandon her.

Putting herself in danger for her own selfishness would worry her friends. Besides, she could call him anytime, even if she wasn't in danger.

If only she could get to wherever Helios was to save him with her own power. He had called her his maiden; she must have the ability to reach him.

Maybe Helios had appeared to her in Downtown Bikini Bottom because of his love for her.

But Sailor Chibi-Moon didn't have the whole package like Sailor Moon did. Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon both possessed the Silver Crystal, they both possessed the same weapons, the same equipment, but Sailor Moon outclassed Chibi-Moon in every way. Sailor Moon was more mature, more dependable, more powerful, more compassionate, more loving, less selfish.

She was everything Chibi-Usa wasn't and never would be.

Maybe Helios had made a mistake, and Chibi-Moon wasn't his maiden.

Maybe Sailor Moon had been all along.

As soon as all the buttons were pressed, Mermaid Man conked out, and SpongeBob shook himself awake, adjusting Mermaid Man's legs on his recliner, rubbing the superhero's feet. With no robots around, and Mermaid Man seeming as though he could sleep through a blizzard, Chibi-Usa cupped her hands, willed her Crystal Carillon into existence, a bell that Helios had given her, and held it to the ceiling.

"Twinkle Yell!"

"Small Lady, what are you doing?"

"Clearing up a big misunderstanding," Chibi-Usa said, a light filling the area. Mermaid Man continued sleeping like all was well.

"You could be giving away our location to our enemies," Hotaru said. The light kept Chibi-Usa from seeing Hotaru's and Setsuna's disappointment.

"I'm not. Trust me." Truth was, she didn't know and didn't care.

"What is going on down there?" Barnacle Boy said from somewhere above.

Helios' silhouette etched in the light, his great wings beating once. "Young maiden…" That angelic voice froze Chibi-Usa's heart. The light faded, but a faint glow surrounded Helios, SpongeBob's breath catching, the sponge calling the horse more gorgeous than Mystery, but Chibi-Usa barely heard him over her desire for Helios. How Chibi-Usa wanted to go to him, cup his face in her hands, turn him back into the human he'd been. But she wasn't the one he was looking for; it wouldn't be fair to him if she caressed him. If she tried to save him again. If she led him falsely.

Everyone always sought Sailor Moon. Never Chibi-Moon. All Chibi-Moon did was live in her mother's shadow. How could Chibi-Usa have thought that anyone would pine for her?

"You're wrong, Helios." Chibi-Usa made sure to stay away from him. "I'm not the one you're looking for. My mother, Sailor Moon, is." She pointed to the entrance. "She's out there on a mountain. You should go there and see her instead." Held out her Crystal Carillon. "Here, give her this so she can call on you instead. You're hers, not mine." She dropped the Crystal Carillon at her feet. Wasn't going to go near Helios when he wasn't hers to go near. Everything that Chibi-Usa thought was hers was Sailor Moon's. She had nothing of her own. Sailor Moon had her own Guardians. Her husband. Her powers that she could use without Chibi-Moon's help. Chibi-Moon was dependent on Sailor Moon. Without Sailor Moon, Chibi-Moon was nothing.

Sailor Moon was passionate about protecting her loved ones. Chibi-Usa had the same passion, but she fainted under pressure. Had turned into Black Lady because she couldn't handle the expectations of being a Guardian, the princess of the Moon Kingdom. Sailor Moon powered through everything.

Her mother didn't think of herself as elegant, graceful, or beautiful, but she was. No wonder Mamoru gazed at her with longing, could never get enough of her. No one looked at Chibi-Usa like that.

Helios gazed at her, as if not seeing the anguish on Chibi-Usa's face. "The one I am looking for has the power to break the seal on the Golden Crystal. The light of the moon shields her. She has both the grace and gentleness of a princess but the strong heart, strength, and determination of a soldier."

Chibi-Usa stepped back. "I'm not any of those things."

He tilted his head ever so slightly. "Is Super Sailor Moon the same person as Princess Serenity?"

Just like that, Chibi-Usa's world crashed. Her dreams of being with Helios, of being a burden no more, of having a purpose other than getting in the Guardians' way, were crushed.

Chibi-Usa took to the air and flew. The world blurred. Didn't care where she went, as long as she left Helios to get Super Sailor Moon's help, left her friends so they wouldn't see her break.

Heard SpongeBob's faint cries of, "She won't make it through the security tunnel by herself." Someone else who didn't believe in her.

"Small Lady!" Puu's shouts were miles away. Chibi-Usa was moving faster than Puu ever could.

Chibi-Usa belonged by herself, hiding, where she could burden no one. She didn't deserve Helios. Didn't deserve to be a Guardian. Wasn't worthy of being her mother's daughter.

She was nothing.


	35. Élan Vital

**Chapter Thirty-five:** **Élan Vital**

"She went into the Security Tunnel," SpongeBob said. Ignoring the radiant horse was almost easy when Chibi-Usa had run away for reasons SpongeBob didn't understand. By the looks on the other Guardians' faces, they didn't understand, either.

"She thinks she isn't needed," Setsuna said. Oh, she did understand. She looked the same all the time, so her emotions were hard to read. "Small Lady is a lot like her mother, both a blessing and a curse. Like her mother, she doesn't like others to see her emotions, so she hides to let them out. Unlike her mother, she's not as good at hiding her emotions, so when she feels like she's about to lose control, she runs."

"But we're her friends. She shouldn't feel like she has to hide her emotions from us."

Her eyes softened. "That's true. I wish she'd realize that."

SpongeBob faced Helios, suppressing the urge to throw on a mane of hair, jump on the horse's back, and ride through Bikini Bottom. "What's going on?"

But the beautiful Helios shimmered away. Gone as quickly as he'd come.

SpongeBob's heart dropped. "Did I scare him off?"

Hotaru's eyes grew more somber. "He likely left because Chibi-Usa left, not because of anything you did, SpongeBob. I don't think Helios is as interested in us as he is in Chibi-Usa-chan."

Relief touched SpongeBob. He didn't want to make Chibi-Usa's rough day worse by scaring off one of her friends. "Does that mean he went after her?"

"That I don't know," Setsuna said. "But we have to find her. Who knows what trouble Small Lady will get into by herself, especially here?"

"The Mermalair can be dangerous if you don't know where you're going. Plus the security system's being messed with." SpongeBob turned toward the Mermalair Computer, erect near the Security Tunnel. "I bet the Mermalair Computer can make it so Chibi-Usa isn't hurt by the Mermalair's dangerous recesses and booby traps. Then, while we're looking for her, she won't be blasted to smithereens."

Ami covered her mouth. "B-blasted…"

These humans worried too much. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Sure, you might be blown up into a million little pieces but, hey, you're in the Mermalair. Something to celebrate." What an honor, to be annihilated in his favorite superheroes' hideout.

What an honor to _be_ in the Mermalair.

SpongeBob had been in the Mermalair when he and Patrick had hideout-sat and defended the Mermalair from Manray, but the robots were deadlier and more plentiful than Manray. And the Dead Moon Circus had infiltrated the hideout.

Protecting the Mermalair one more time was a dream come true.

"I don't see any other robots around," Hotaru said. "I can go look for Chibi-Usa. She doesn't realize what she's getting herself into."

"You likely don't either, Hotaru." Setsuna shook her head. "None of us but SpongeBob does."

SpongeBob shrugged. "The Mermalair remains a mystery to those who have studied it day in and day out. There are parts of the Mermalair that I don't know about, either."

"There are enough of us here to split up," Ami said. "Two of us could go after Chibi-Usa-chan while the rest of us clear out the robots."

From what SpongeBob had gathered, Setsuna and Hotaru were Chibi-Usa's best friends, and Ami was in the middle, but each of them cared deeply for the pink-haired Guardian. Makoto had mentioned something about being sworn to protect the princesses, Chibi-Usa and Usagi. How amazing that both were princesses. If only SpongeBob were a princess. Or, a prince with his own princess. However royalty worked.

What was happening on land? The humans talked about how confusing Bikini Bottom was, but their world sounded more complex. SpongeBob had been with the humans for what felt like years, but he wasn't any closer to understanding their world than when they'd arrived. Now wasn't the time to ask about their origin stories.

SpongeBob winked. "I know how to sweet-talk the Mermalair Computer. I've watched enough episodes of the television show to know what tickles her fancy."

Setsuna gave SpongeBob an unreadable look.

"But we might need you as a guide," Ami said.

"We've fought in different dimensions before just fine," Hotaru said. "I think we can handle the Mermalair."

SpongeBob's eyes brightened. "Did you go to the dimension where the giant monkey man lives?"

Another unreadable look, this time from Hotaru.

"You guys keep looking at me like that, and I don't know what that look means." They were doing some of the coolest things SpongeBob had seen. Of course he was curious.

Finally, Hotaru said, "We didn't."

She'd hesitated. Hiding something? But he said nothing. The situation was dire, and they had to reach Chibi-Usa before the Mermalair's security system did her in.

"You're spunky today, Hotaru," Setsuna said. "Because Small Lady ran away?"

"Yes, and I'm worried about her, so that's making me snippy."

"You guys have gotten through Bikini Bottom okay by yourselves," SpongeBob said. Whenever they'd been separated, without SpongeBob, Patrick, or Sandy guiding them, they traversed through Bikini Bottom unscathed. Maybe the sadness-blinded Chibi-Usa would be fine, too. He waved them away. "Go ahead. I'll catch up."

Ami stepped beside SpongeBob. "I'll stay with you, SpongeBob. We've worked together before, and our attacks are similar, so we'll be at an advantage against the robots."

"I'd love to," he sang. Working with Ami was fun.

"We'd better get going." Hotaru took to the air. "Good luck, you two." She and Setsuna flew off before Hotaru finished speaking.

SpongeBob whistled. "Wow. You all are worried sick about Chibi-Usa, huh?"

"Yeah." Ami gazed after Setsuna. "I wish I could spend some time alone with her," she said softly.

"I'm sure you'll be able to one day." SpongeBob clenched a hand. "In the meantime, we'll mesh so well that we'll taste as good as sea-nut butter and jelly."

"A-ah. I didn't mean for you to hear…" She flushed. "Anyhow, sea-nut butter and jelly. Yes, we'll work that well together." Her brow creased, like she was working through what SpongeBob had said. Almost every time the sea creatures spoke, the humans stared at the sea creatures or didn't respond, even though the different species spoke the same language. "Anyway, let's go to the Mermalair Computer. The sooner we can figure out how to shut down the security system, the better."

Ami and SpongeBob didn't bother running to the Computer. Instead, Ami picked SpongeBob up, SpongeBob saying that, hopefully, he wasn't too heavy for her; he'd gotten into bodybuilding and gained two pounds worth of biceps. Ami twitched. A sign of strain. Good. SpongeBob was showing results. Sandy would be impressed the next time he karate-chopped her. She'd fly into the sky from the force of his new, bulging muscles.

They landed in front of the Computer. SpongeBob's knees weakened at the sight of the Computer that secured the Mermalair, helped Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy think of plans to defeat villains. There was never an episode in which the Mermalair had been overrun by villains. The first time the Mermalair was overtaken was in real life, by robots, but the Mermalair was still standing. A testament to its strength, its creators' genius.

SpongeBob dropped onto his knees, wanting to worship the legendary Computer. "She's here. The Mermalair Computer."

"Does 'she' really have a gender?"

"Right. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy designed this computer specifically to be a female so that she'd have that _je ne sais pas_ that, y'know, only females have."

Ami forced a smile. "I don't know what to think."

"You've never heard of a female computer before? Are they all men where you come from?"

"Computers in Japan don't have a gender."

"You mean, on land, computers are just 'its'? Another great thing about our superheroes—they were ahead of their time." On his knees, SpongeBob shuffled to the Computer and kissed the floor at her base. If she had feet, he'd kiss them.

"Why are you doing that?" Her high, velvety voice… She could talk SpongeBob to sleep.

"The Mermalair Computer has spoken." SpongeBob lay his hands down, bowing. "Listen to her, heed her, and be amazed."

Ami bit her lip.

"The human seems incredibly uncomfortable."

She flushed more deeply, tapping her fingers. "I, I mean…"

"You've brought Ami to a loss for words," SpongeBob said. "And who could blame her, entering the presence of the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Computer?"

"We'd better put the human out of her misery and get down to business." She cleared her throat.

SpongeBob gasped. "An almighty computer that needs to clear her throat? A computer _with_ a throat? Blasphemous."

"As I was saying, or trying to say, before I was rudely interrupted, in order for me to regain control of the security system, all of the override buttons throughout the Mermalair must be pressed."

He clapped his hands. "Ooh, goody, I like pressing buttons."

"Do you know exactly where these buttons are?" Ami said.

"Ah, you've recovered your voice."

Yet another blush from Ami.

"To ask a good question, too. The first one happens to be beside me, to your left." A button was embedded in a metal cavity next to the Computer.

SpongeBob blew a bowling ball into his right hand, wheeled his arm. "Looks like the Bubble Bowl'll need to take care of this one." He threw the ball, and it popped against the button, pushing it, turning the button green. He deepened his voice into a superhero's; he was almost a superhero, saving his superheroes' hideout from villains. "Press the buttons. Got it."

"You indeed 'got it.' The rest of the buttons are in the next few areas. I'd rather not tell you the locations in case the robots overhear and destroy them."

"Nothing exists on Earth that can destroy the Mermalair, much less anything in it."

"You'd be surprised. Mermaid Man once leaned back too much on his recliner and destroyed that. If I wasn't a computer, I would've lost count of how many times the toilet's been broken by those two old men."

"They're the exception. Of course they can destroy what they've built."

"Uh-huh. Gullible guy, aren't you?"

A lot of people called SpongeBob gullible. "I like to think of it as seeing the best in people."

"That's a nice way of looking at it," Ami said.

"Anything to make yourself sleep better at night." The Computer sounded like Squidward, but she was squishy inside, too. "Anyway, if the buttons are destroyed, then the security system will fail permanently, and I will lose my own life, which means that I will never be able to turn on again. The Mermalair will be defenseless."

SpongeBob shuddered. "An awful way to go. Without security, the Mermalair might fall, too, even with our superheroes protecting it."

"Honestly, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy aren't much of a defense."

"Nonsense. You may know everything about the Mermalair, but you do not know our heroes' capabilities. They might have had to keep some of their powers secret from you on the off-chance that their arch-enemies hack you for information."

"Your faith in those old men is admirable. It's blinded you so much that you're talking like you live on a whole different planet."

"Thank you." If SpongeBob had reached another planet, then he was ahead of his time.

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Of course. There's no language barrier."

"Let me rephrase. Do you understand that I'm insulting you to your face and you're thanking me?"

"Naw, you're just like Squidward. You don't mean any of those things."

The Mermalair Computer remained silent. Ami shifted from foot to foot.

"No need to be uncomfortable." He deepened his voice once more. "Nor is there a need to worry, almighty Computer. Ami and I will press these buttons and make sure that the robots don't destroy them. In other words, we shall save your life."

"I appreciate that," she said flatly. "Once you've pressed all the buttons, return here and press the master shutdown button." Another button embedded in a cavity, guarded with metal bars, stood beside the first button. "As you've probably guessed, that will do exactly what it implies it will do—the security system will be temporarily shut down. I'll then work as quickly as possible to regain control of the security system. Once I do, the system will turn back on, and the Mermalair will be protected once again."

Goggles etched themselves onto Ami's face, and letters scrolled on them. Ami narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the jumbled words.

"What are you doing?" The Mermalair Computer didn't know something?

"I'm, um, analyzing you, if you don't mind. I'm sorry I didn't ask first, but the technology down here is remarkable. I'm trying to gain a better understanding of how Bikini Bottom works."

"Admirable. Most humans are so selfish that they prefer to stay ignorant about the world unless it pertains to them or will further their own ambition. A shame, really. The world would be much more advanced if humans would yank their heads out of the sand."

SpongeBob was having a hard time following. An example of her brilliance.

"You're very insightful." Of course Ami could understand. She was a brianiac like Sandy.

"For a computer, you mean."

"Th-that's not what—"

"I know you Japanese folks are polite, but I'm a computer. I don't take offense to much. Except when it seems like others, like the sponge, aren't listening to me."

SpongeBob startled. He'd been hanging on the Computer's every word. Instead of telling her that she'd been wrong (what was this world coming to when computers were wrong?), he said, in his superhero's voice, "Listening, got it." The superhero voice made others take him seriously. Besides, before Mermaid Man had gotten older, he had a bass of a voice, his voice's power reverberating throughout the ocean, commanding all to listen.

Smoke emanated from Ami's goggles, and they popped in a mini-eruption of sparks. Ami squeaked. A product of the Sailor Guardians had exploded? Their equipment was almost as indestructible as Mermaid Man's and Barnacle Boy's.

Ami gaped. "My Mercury Goggle."

The Computer chuckled. "Apparently, I'm too complex for your mere goggles to comprehend."

Ami worked her mouth. "It's okay. If I de-transform and then transform again, they'll come back. I couldn't understand anything that was scrolling on it, anyhow."

"You humans overestimate yourselves," the Computer said. "Especially you Japanese. Not everything you make is superior. You like to pretend you're humble, but you're not."

Ami's expression blanked. "Uh, okay?"

The Computer housed a swath of knowledge beyond the Mermalair, which hadn't been explained in the show, the fanzines, the official magazine, or any of the Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy products.

"But keep going. Astound me with your wisdom."

"I kind of don't want to now."

"No, seriously. I want to know what you think you know."

Ami averted her gaze. "Well, things in Bikini Bottom seem simple, but they're not."

"Like me?"

She darted her eyes everywhere but on the Computer. "I mean, things seem to be simple yet complex at the same time. Or everything here is an oxymoron." A blue light encapsulated her and then faded, revealing Sailor Mercury in her glory. The Mercury Goggle etched onto her face. "It's back, thank goodness. Better put it away before it explodes again." The Mercury Goggle disappeared.

"Even Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy don't have goggles, and they have everything. How cool." The more time SpongeBob spent with the Guardians, the more difficult it was deciding whether the coolest superheroes were Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy or the Guardians.

"I know I gave you a lot of trouble earlier," the Mermalair Computer said, "but I earnestly wish you two the best of luck. Your other human friends rushed by a few minutes ago. Living creatures in general can be emotional, and emotions can be destructive. If I could, I'd shut down the security system to make sure no one gets hurt, blinded by their emotions. Through the security cameras, I watched you handle the Orbs of Confusion excellently, in a way I've never seen anyone handle it. What I'm saying is, without the security system in place, you're all the defense that's needed."

The Computer had never paid anyone a compliment. She was objective, impartial. Ami, a non-fan of _The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy,_ couldn't appreciate the significance of what the Computer said.

Ami bowed. "Thank you." Perhaps she did understand.

"Oh, you Japanese, so polite, it's sickening."

Her face fell.

"Don't think about what I said too much. I did give you a mission. Besides, shouldn't you be flying after your distressed, crying friend while pushing the override buttons?"

"Right. We'd better hurry, SpongeBob."

"Thank you, Mermalair Computer." SpongeBob saluted the Computer. "We shall not let you down."

Ami and SpongeBob ran into the Security Tunnel. Darkness nearly engulfed them, the tunnel lit by dim dome-shaped bulbs that were few and far between.

A light brightened the opening ahead. They emerged in a wide-open area, airborne platforms rotating like moving walkways in airports. Porcupine-like machines circled the platforms. Some of the machines pulsed electricity.

None of the other Guardians were anywhere to be seen. Maybe they'd reached the Rolling Ball Area.

SpongeBob pointed toward the tunnel leading to the Rolling Ball Area. "We have to get to the top of this room somehow." He rubbed his chin. "But how?"

"Maybe through there?" Ami gestured to a tunnel ahead, the disco floors inside lighting it in green, yellow, red.

SpongeBob squinted. "The tunnels. Of course. As many times as I've watched the episodes of _The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy,_ you'd think I would know this place inside and out. But I don't."

"You knew enough to get us this far. We'd be having a tougher time without your help."

"There's always more to learn, young grasshopper."

Ami raised her eyebrows.

"Awed because I'm wise beyond my years?"

Her eyebrows shot into her hair.

SpongeBob cracked his growing knuckles. No need to puff himself up more. "Let's go. There are many a robot to vanquish."

The two ran through the open area and into the tunnels. A disco floor stretched before them.

"Be careful of the red parts," SpongeBob said. "They sting if you touch them."

The disco floor's colors alternated on each tile, some turning red while the others remained a silver hue. SpongeBob and Ami jumped over the red tiles.

A yelp from ahead.

"Chibi-Usa?" Ami quickened, bounding up several platforms. Falling into step beside her, SpongeBob wasn't sure if that was Chibi-Usa's voice, but they couldn't take chances. Hotaru and Setsuna might have missed Chibi-Usa. The Guardian was small, so she could hide in crevices.

Another, larger disco floor stretched before them. On the ground in front of the floor hopped CereCere, clutching her foot, muttering a string of curses.

SpongeBob covered two of his holes. "All those naughty words. Does everyone from the land say naughty things?"

Ami rubbed her arm. "I don't. Much. At least not in front of my friends." She coughed lightly. "There are more eloquent ways to vent our frustrations."

Fisheye crouched beside CereCere, blowing on her foot. Like that would help.

SpongeBob stopped breathing. In Fisheye's hand was Gary. Maybe Gary and Fisheye had become friends. Or was Fisheye planning to manipulate Gary's dreams?

SpongeBob ground his teeth. No way would he let Fisheye inject Gary with nightmares.

He wheeled a bubble bowl in his hand. "Let go of Gary right now, or else." The Dead Moon Circus members snapped their heads toward him, CereCere dancing on the disco floor, an apropos place to dance.

Fisheye sneered. "Why do you hero types stupidly announce yourselves every time you walk into a room? If you'd said nothing, you could've gotten the upper hand."

"Hm. You have a point." Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy had always announced themselves, though, and they never lost a fight.

Ami aimed the palm of her hand at the two. "Don't let them distract you, SpongeBob."

"I won't. I'm ready." He hurled the ball. Fisheye pointed Gary toward the ball. His friend would be hit.

Despite the disco floor, SpongeBob ran as fast as he could. The floor flashed red, melting his shoes and leaving him barefoot, but he kept going. The ball was moving faster.

SpongeBob needed something that moved faster than him.

Boats did.

Visualizing a boat, he sucked in a breath, blew a bubble with jetpacks on the back, like his helmet with jetpacks; after all, boats were powered with jets. Not wanting his muscles to slow the bubble, he launched the bubble alone. Like a missile, it split the air. SpongeBob watched through his bubble wand.

Its moving quickly wasn't enough. SpongeBob had to steer it to get Fisheye and, thus, Gary out of the way of the bowling ball.

His wand did a lot of things. Maybe…

He swerved his wand to the right. The bubble missile swerved to the right. Like his wand was a wheel that controlled a boat. _There we go._

He swung his wand sideways, into Fisheye's side milliseconds. Fisheye careened into CereCere, the bowling ball dissolving. SpongeBob had forgotten that it'd dissolve after moving a few yards. Maybe Gary wouldn't have been hurt after all.

Regardless, Gary's peril had caused SpongeBob to think of a new attack, a controllable missile, not a boat. Missiles exploded.

But this one didn't because SpongeBob hadn't used enough of his imagination to cause it to explode. The dead missile dissolved against Fisheye's side. SpongeBob would have to do more work to perfect his attack.

Rushing over the red squares, SpongeBob reached Fisheye, snatched his snail. Gary snuggled to SpongeBob.

"Gary, you're okay. Thank goodness. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't around to pay the electric bill."

"After all that…" Ami said.

SpongeBob rubbed Gary on his cheek. "Just kidding. You're one of my best friends, Gary. There's no way I'd let them get into your head."

Gary's eyes shot open, and he pointed one of his eye stalks to CereCere and Fisheye, both of whom stumbled onto their feet. SpongeBob had to get Gary someplace safe. He sprinted backward, stepping on the red squares of the disco floor, yelping and shooting into the air but still moving toward Ami.

A jet of water wrapped around SpongeBob, pinning his arms to his sides so that he couldn't use his bubble wand, and lifted him near the tunnel's ceiling.

SpongeBob tightened his embrace on Gary. They could do whatever they wanted to him, but he'd never let them get Gary.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Another jet of water crashed into Fisheye's stomach, throwing the former fish backward, the wave splashing onto the floor, SpongeBob falling onto a red square. The burning rocketed him upward once more, and he yelped, scurried behind Ami, to safety.

He whirled around, facing the recovering Fisheye. CereCere scowled, but SpongeBob paid attention to only Fisheye.

SpongeBob placed Gary on the ground. Gary, the smart snail, hurried away, moving his maximum of half a mile an hour. Good enough.

Fisheye… His name didn't betray his origin. "You were a fish, right?" SpongeBob said.

Fisheye hawked a red glob out of his mouth. "What's it to you?"

"Because you're one of us." He placed a hand over his heart. "We're related, you and I. Why do we have to fight each other?"

Fisheye's expression darkened. "I'm nothing like you."

He stepped back, eyebrows arching. "But…"

"But nothing." Fisheye raised his hands, the palms facing SpongeBob and Ami. "We may both come from the ocean, but that's where the similarities end. I live to serve my creators. You live to take up space. You're an idiot. I am not. I am a masterpiece created by people. You are a simpleton created by cells. I refuse to associate with you."

Tears filled SpongeBob's eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to him before.

"SpongeBob?" Ami said, but her voice was far away.

He couldn't think of anything to say. The tears fell. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but he blubbered and sobbed.

SpongeBob tried to be a friend to everyone, but Fisheye didn't want to be his friend. Why? Fisheye's explanation made no sense.

Fisheye felt no camaraderie with other sea creatures or allegiance to the ocean. Wasn't trying to stop the robots but pursued the Guardians under obedience to his masters.

He'd forgotten who he was. A sad existence.

Maybe Fisheye's identity crisis was why he had spoken those mean words, not out of hatred. SpongeBob had to prove to Fisheye that he was a more than a puppet, that he was a sea creature and should take pride in his homeland, fighting to protect it instead of only serving his masters.

It didn't seem right for SpongeBob to fight Fisheye to show him that they should be friends, but Fisheye was going to attack SpongeBob. He had no choice but to defend himself.

SpongeBob raised his bubble wand. Time to strike back.

* * *

Ami aimed the palm of her hand at the Dead Moon Circus members. Hopefully, they were weak enough for her to finish them. In case a rush of water couldn't kill them, Ami would freeze them. Once the ice broke or melted, they'd be dead from hypothermia.

"Shine Snow Illusion!" Ice burst from her hand.

Fisheye pointed his hand toward the oncoming snow. "C-come on!" Water exploded from his hand, struck and pushed against the ice. Ami pulsed more energy.

Ami's snow began to freeze Fisheye's jet of water, threatening to freeze him and CereCere.

A missile burst on Ami. She flew backward. _No!_ Her chance to end two members of the Dead Moon Circus, stolen.

There'd always be other chances.

Despite the burning, Ami opened her eyes. Above hovered a Chuck, her new most hated robot. SpongeBob threw a bubble bowl into Fisheye's jet of water in an attempt to keep the water back, but Fisheye's water slammed into the sponge anyhow, and he flew backward.

The bubble ball knocked over Fisheye, and he collided, headfirst, with a red tile. Smoke billowed from where his forehead had smacked the floor, and he hollered.

He scrambled. "My gorgeous face is melting." He found his footing and ran, but the Chuck whipped around, threw a missile toward him—the robots took no one's side but their own—and CereCere dove, her feet touching a red tile. Wincing, she tackled Fisheye out of the way, into the wall, above a white tile. She tugged Fisheye upright and then dragged him toward the dirt above the disco floor.

Ami outstretched her arms. "Shine Snow Illusion!" More snow fanned forth from her hands. The energy from being underwater was making her more powerful. She couldn't let these fiends terrorize others anymore.

Not only would she save others, but Setsuna would be proud, too, her earlier embarrassment forgotten.

Ami couldn't think about the glory she'd receive. Had to remain focused on saving other people, when she did her best.

In her recklessness, Ami had launched her attack in SpongeBob's path.

"SpongeBob, watch out!"

Looking back and still flying, the sponge's eyes bulged at the oncoming avalanche. He turned so that his back faced the ground, his face closest to the snow, the snow passing inches above him. Yet the snow spread to him, encasing him, dropping him to the ground. Normally, Shine Snow Illusion didn't home in on others. One time when gaining more power hadn't worked to her advantage. Hopefully, Michiru didn't have the same type of issue.

 _Of course not, Ami. Unlike you, she knows how to think things through._

No more comparisons. Ami was fine being Ami. Besides, correcting her mistake was what mattered.

Water melted snow and ice, so Ami followed Shine Snow Illusion with Shine Aqua Illusion, the water squeezing and beginning to melt the ice-encased SpongeBob.

The snow from her first attack spread to the Chuck that hovered above CereCere and Fisheye. The snow froze the Chuck in ice, and its lights dimmed, its motor stopping. It dropped onto Fisheye, crushing his chest, making him deflate, stopping CereCere's run. She slammed onto her back like a thread from her shirt had caught on a chair, the air being knocked out of her. Her pupils contracted.

Fear. Like she had made hundreds of people feel.

"No, Fisheye, you can't die on me. If not for me, then for PallaPalla. Who'll keep her safe? Or for the fish down here. You may not like some of them, but you have to care for them. They're like you. The robots will destroy the ocean if you don't wake up." She gripped the Chuck, tried to lift it. "Please, Fisheye, please."

Fisheye didn't move.

If Ami had killed him, then he'd brought it on himself.

Although she told herself that he deserved to die, Ami felt a pang of…regret? Sadness? Was she feeling bad for her enemies?

Fisheye said weakly, "It's okay. You and the others will do well here. All of you are stronger than you think. And the sea, it's strong. The robots won't destroy it or its inhabitants." He _did_ care for the sea.

CereCere grit her teeth. Roaring, she slammed both hands onto the Chuck and heaved, veins bursting from her forehead.

She was the enemy, but she was about to lose someone she was close to, like Ami had lost her father.

 _Think. Breathe. Don't be rash._

Ami's mind told her to let Fisheye get what was coming to him, but her heart told her to save him, that he and the Dead Moon Circus deserved a chance, too.

They deserved every bit of misfortune that befell them. If she kept Fisheye alive, then he'd terrorize more people. Ami was a Guardian. He was part of the Dead Moon Circus. That was all.

Ami didn't see monsters who manipulated and destroyed dreams. She saw two people who loved each other.

Water splashed onto the ground. A freed SpongeBob ran toward Fisheye. "I don't care how bad you made me feel. I'm gonna save you."

Her mind told her to stop SpongeBob, tell the sponge that Fisheye needed to die for the greater good. She'd always followed logic but, for the first time, for her enemies, she was going to follow her heart.

She blasted water toward CereCere, Fisheye, and the Chuck.

CereCere ground her teeth. "Kicking the dog while it's down, huh?"

"If you want to live, then move." Felt like someone had possessed Ami.

CereCere's eyebrows shot up. She jumped backward, milliseconds before the water smashed the Chuck. Fisheye hacked, gasped for air, clutching at his throat. Started to take longer, deeper breaths.

Gaining his life back.

Reaching Fisheye, SpongeBob put his mouth to the former fish's and breathed into it, helping Fisheye along the path of recovery.

CereCere gawked at Fisheye and then turned her attention to Ami, then back to Fisheye, then gawked at Ami once more.

Ami couldn't hear what CereCere said, the circus member's voice was so soft, but she could guess based on CereCere's mouth movement. "Why?"

Ami stared. Didn't know how to answer. She had followed her unfathomable heart.

Fisheye sputtered, eyes shooting open, sharpening at SpongeBob. He shoved the sponge off, wiped his mouth.

SpongeBob sat upright. "Great, you're alive." Despite the horrible things Fisheye had said and done to SpongeBob and Ami, the sponge had helped save Fisheye. Heck, Fisheye could've regained his power and then killed SpongeBob right then and there.

Fisheye sputtered. "Y-you…" Coughed. Couldn't say anything. Couldn't move.

CereCere gathered Fisheye in her arms, took one last look at Ami, and ran deeper into the Mermalair.

Ami watched. Another mistake, another embarrassment.

She couldn't return to her fellow Guardians, let them know that the enemy had been literally pinned down, about to die, and then she'd saved them. SpongeBob had, too, but he wouldn't have been able to speed up Fisheye's recovery without Ami blasting that Chuck off.

Made no sense.

Setsuna, especially, would be disappointed.

She had to fix what she'd done.

"They went farther into the Mermalair." Ami plucked SpongeBob up by the hand. Thank goodness the sponge was as light as a kitchen sponge. He needed a new fitness regimen. "We have to go after them and capture them."

"Aye-aye." SpongeBob frowned, a rare expression, at the spot where Fisheye and CereCere had disappeared. "Y'know, Ami, I'm starting to think that they're not as evil as they say they are. Fisheye had a chance to do something to me right after he pushed me off of him, but he didn't."

"You noticed?" SpongeBob was so happy-go-lucky, he didn't seem to see the darkness behind people. Maybe the Dead Moon Circus' deeds gave him no choice but to see evil.

He nodded. "These other humans, the Dead Moon Circus, they're scary sometimes. Watching what they did to you, I'm starting to realize what they're capable of." His tie blew sideways, and his voice deepened once more. "But we shall not let evil prevail. We shall unlock and exploit their hidden kindness mode."

SpongeBob wasn't as innocent as Ami thought. Or the Guardians being down in the ocean, their enemies in tow, was stealing his innocence. Something that Ami never wanted to do. Was she failing at protecting him, too?

SpongeBob tried to remain lighthearted. The effects of the fight against the robots and the Dead Moon Circus on him remained to be seen.

She could at least keep helping him through. "How are you feeling, SpongeBob?"

He blinked. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Well, with everything you said earlier, about realizing how deadly the Circus is…"

He wrung his hands. "It's fine. Fisheye doesn't realize that we're as close as brothers. All I have to do is get close enough to him to show him that we're connected. Literally."

Ami's heart caught in her throat. "A-are you going to do that lung…thing you did in Jellyfish Fields?"

A grave nod. "It's the only way."

A chill rocked Ami. She had to make sure to blind herself somehow so she didn't see that again.

Did SpongeBob realize how much the Dead Moon Circus was affecting him, or did he realize it and was trying to cover it up with lightheartedness?

Maybe a mixture. Maybe SpongeBob didn't know himself.

Before she could keep asking about his well-being, SpongeBob rushed to Gary, who had hidden behind a boulder, gathered him in his arms. "Gary, you're okay. Thank goodness."

Gary purred, rubbing SpongeBob's cheek.

"How'd you get all the way down into the deepest recesses of the Mermalair, anyway?"

"Meow."

"Oh. The elevator. Makes sense. Did Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy invite you down here, too, like they invited Squidward to defeat the robots?"

"Meow."

"Cool, you and Squidward were supposed to work together, but Squidward had such faith that you could do it yourself that he let you go ahead." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose. "How beautiful, the trust between two friends."

Ami pursed her lips. Usually, she wasn't quick to speak, and she didn't want to say anything concerning Squidward's motives that would hurt SpongeBob, but his naivety kept him from seeing the true Squidward. How could he be insightful when watching the Dead Moon Circus but ignorant about Squidward?

"What did they want to do with you?" An undercurrent of anger ran beneath SpongeBob's tone. The first time Ami had heard SpongeBob angry.

"Meow, meow."

"They wanted to keep you as a hostage. Well, that didn't work out." He glanced over his shoulder, at the tunnel. "We have to keep going, but I don't want to leave you. They could come back and take you again."

Gary pointed an eye stalk at a hole behind the boulder. "Meow."

"Great idea, Gary. You can hide in there and escape once the security system is taken care of." He gave Gary one final squeeze and then let he snail go. "Go forth and be free."

As Gary slithered toward the hole, Ami and SpongeBob flew farther into the Mermalair, destroying robots, searching for Fisheye and CereCere. Carrying Fisheye, CereCere couldn't be moving fast, but Ami and SpongeBob didn't see either of them, nor did they see Hotaru, Chibi-Usa, or Setsuna. Just as well; Ami couldn't face them.

Ami would never have an explanation for what she'd done, other than the illogical excuse that she felt she was to be kind to enemies who wrecked lives without a second thought.

Her mind told her that they hadn't deserved to live, but her heart told her that they deserved the right to live.

Her mind was screaming that she'd been stupid for the first time in her life, but her heart was saying that she'd done the right thing.

Ami couldn't understand her mind or her heart. So she focused on capturing her enemies to salvage something good.

SpongeBob perked. "Now we're heading toward the Rolling Ball Area. There's a giant rolling ball inside, and it is so much fun to play with." How carefree.

As soon as Ami and SpongeBob entered the Rolling Ball Area, the water-covered ball flew overhead, demolished the wall to their side, revealing another area with a disco floor.

The ball bounced off the walls, striking a button where a funnel extended and, suspended in the middle of a block of ice, a grey creature hung that resembled Plankton, wearing a horn like a backpack. The ice melted, puddling onto the disco floor. The creature dropped onto its feet. The ball plunked onto the disco floor.

Two figures, black and green, shot after the ball. Ami had never seen anything move that fast, yet they were too slow to catch the ball.

SpongeBob's jaw hitting on the floor once more. His buck teeth dropped from the roof of his mouth, clattering onto his tongue.

Ami readied herself. She didn't know who these possible new enemies that awaited her were or what was happening, but she knew one thing.

She would not be merciful again.


	36. Searching

**Chapter Thirty-six: Searching**

Hotaru had to tell Chibi-Usa that she had nothing to be ashamed of. Hotaru loved the princess like the sister she'd never had. Chibi-Usa easily brought others together, perhaps because, like Hotaru, Chibi-Usa had been lonely, ostracized because of her appearance. According to Chibi-Usa, the friend of a friend was also a friend. When she was around, no one was a stranger.

Thanks to Chibi-Usa, Hotaru had grown closer to Setsuna, who she flew beside in the tunnel leading to the security tunnel. Her motherly presence reassured and calmed Hotaru. Alongside Haruka and Michiru, Setsuna had helped raise Hotaru. The younger Guardian could come to Setsuna for anything, like a friendship. After spending centuries guarding the Space-Time Door, Setsuna must be appreciative of having friends by her side.

Michiru was also like a mother but not as strict, cooking scrumptious meals, like Hotaru's favorite food, soba; filled the cottage she, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru had lived in with violin concertos; took care of Hotaru's cuts and scratches from playing with Haruka.

Haruka was fatherly, giving sage advice, encouraging Hotaru to do her best, no matter others' opinions. Oftentimes, Haruka was mistaken for a man instead of the beautiful, yet handsome, woman she was, but she remained focused, not letting others' thoughts influence her. She was tender when she and Hotaru roughhoused. Hotaru may be small and a little frail, but she wasn't that gentle. Many times, she'd chewed on the irony of the Guardian of Destruction being a fragile tween, but she didn't let her youth or frailty hold her back.

During that brief time in the cottage before the Dead Moon Circus had shattered their tranquility, Hotaru learned much from the older Guardians. Now she would test what she learned.

Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto emerged into a wide-open area brightened by several neon lights about. Moving, floating platforms hovered near the ceiling.

A tunnel led deeper into the Mermalair. Perhaps that tunnel, alongside the porcupine-like, electricity-pulsing machines were the reasons why this area was called the security tunnel. Didn't seem like much of a security system, but the devices couldn't be underestimated. The other Guardians talked about how dangerous the most innocent-looking objects in Bikini Bottom turned out to be, like boxes that could transport objects. If those boxes went haywire, one could wind up trapped in the middle of two dimensions.

Hotaru could handle Bikini Bottom. Many thought she was a waif who needed to be protected, but she wielded much power. Her enemies underestimating her, not believing that so much power could burst from a little girl, worked to her advantage. She'd never lost or feared losing a battle.

Setsuna and Hotaru flew through the tunnel, over the disco floors. They dodged and defeated robots, foraging through every nook and cranny—behind rocks, in corners and crevices—for the pink pigtails, Chibi-Usa's voice. Chibi-Usa could fit almost anywhere. When playing hide-and-seek once, she'd hidden between two bookshelves.

Chibi-Usa would cry silently to hide her tears. Although she was afraid of her enemies, she was more afraid that her friends would find her vulnerable, not wanting anyone's sympathy, which she interpreted as pity.

Neither Setsuna nor Hotaru called Chibi-Usa's name, fearful that she would run if they did. Regardless, defeating the robots caused a racket. Even though Hotaru's attack name had the word "silence" within, there was nothing silent about a blast of energy, including the screams that filled the air once the enemies were hit or saw the power that Hotaru commanded.

Near the end of the tunnel, Setsuna and Hotaru landed.

"She has to be around here somewhere," Hotaru said. "She wouldn't go that far. Would she?"

Setsuna tapped her chin. "She could be disguising herself or shrouding herself in an illusion with Luna-P."

"Do you think she carried Luna-P all the way down here?" 

"Small Lady has very…cunning ways, Hotaru."

Hotaru hadn't known Chibi-Usa as long as Setsuna. Combine the length of time that Chibi-Usa and Setsuna had known each other with Setsuna's observance meant that Setsuna knew Chibi-Usa inside and out.

"I didn't see anything that looked out of the ordinary," Hotaru said.

"That doesn't mean that nothing was there."

"True." If only Rei or Michiru were here. They'd be able to sense Chibi-Usa's energy, unless Chibi-Usa de-transformed into her civilian form but, with the Dead Moon Circus lurking, she couldn't risk de-transforming. "Maybe we can come back. I think we should move forward for now." It seemed as though the tunnels led to the next part of the Mermalair, where Chibi-Usa might have gone.

Setsuna nodded. "Standing here isn't helping us."

The two Guardians flew out the end of the tunnel, where they emerged at the top of the area. No sign of Chibi-Usa. Nor had there been any traces of CereCere and Fisheye. Maybe the Dead Moon Circus members were attacking Chibi-Usa. In her emotional state, Chibi-Usa wouldn't fight as well, especially if Fisheye was manipulating her dreams.

Hotaru and Setsuna flew through another tunnel, signs reading in wobbly print, "This way to the Rolling Ball Room." They emerged in an area with different devices hanging from the ceiling, tilting wooden platforms with holes, slides, things that Hotaru couldn't name.

In front of a glass dome holding a Golden Spatula, Mr. Krabs salivated. His pupils were dilated, and he chanted, "Gold under that there glass. Such shiny glass for such shiny gold…"

"Excuse me," Setsuna said. Mr. Krabs kept salivating. "Excuse me," she said more loudly. The crab salivated more.

Hotaru walked to him and tapped his shoulder. He didn't move.

She raised her glaive. "The only way I can think of to get his attention with, is with this. And I don't want to hurt him." Another common misconception about the Guardian of Destruction—that she loved violence when she wanted to stay far away from it. She'd seen enough destruction and violence in her own life, among her father and the Death Busters, that she didn't want to create more.

Hotaru poked the top of the crab's back with the blunt part of her glaive. No response. Waved her glaive in front of his long, narrow eyes. No response. Reached toward the glass with her glaive.

Mr. Krabs' hands lashed out, grabbing the glaive. He glared at Hotaru. "I was here first." He shook the glaive, shaking Hotaru by extension. "This gold is mine, y'see? Mine, mine, mine."

Setsuna sighed. "Finally, we've gotten your attention." She placed a hand over her heart. "Mr. Krabs, my name is Setsuna, and this is Hotaru. We're friends with Usagi, Ami, and the other humans."

Mr. Krabs' eyes twitched toward the Golden Spatula, sweat cascading down his forehead, his knuckles whitening against Hotaru's glaive. The Mermalair was dank and cool. Money and greed made him sweat. Quite a reaction.

"We're not here for the Golden Spatula, sir." Hotaru tugged her glaive, but the crab didn't loosen his grip. "Please let go of my weapon." She almost mentioned that it was sharp and could pierce one of his sweaty eyes, but Setsuna often reminded her that talk about gouging out eyes and ripping hearts out scared people.

Mr. Krabs narrowed his eyes further. "Oh, no, you're not. You're like that pink-haired girl, thinking you're cute but conniving and greedy instead."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow, her calm way of asking whether Mr. Krabs was that stupid.

"Speaking of Chibi-Usa," Hotaru said, "have you seen her? We're here to find her, not for the Golden Spatula. So I'd appreciate if you let go of my weapon."

Mr. Krabs' eyes sparkled. "I've seen nothing but this shiny Golden Spatula." Wow. Blinded by greed, Mr. Krabs had missed Chibi-Usa.

Finally letting go of her glaive, Mr. Krabs pressed his pincers and his face on the glass, his breath steaming. His tongue lolled out. Gold was like meat to him.

"Or have I?" Mr. Krabs grinned at Setsuna and Hotaru. "I may have seen the adorable girl with the pink hair. I don't know. And you won't know, either, unless you use your weapons to break this glass for me and get the Golden Spatula."

Smarter than he seemed. Hotaru shrugged. "Well, we don't have anything to lose. Unless I'm missing something." Mr. Krabs could be lying, but they still didn't have anything to lose but a bit of time, most of which they'd used rummaging around for Chibi-Usa.

Setsuna's frown deepened. "Right."

No need to overthink anything. "Please step aside, sir. I'll need to swing this pretty hard." Hotaru didn't have much upper body strength, but she could try.

Mr. Krabs scrambled backward, tremoring, sweating more vigorously. Eager to listen to her now that gold was in his future.

Hotaru drew back her glaive and then swung with all her power. Her glaive shattered the glass, pieces exploding, some slicing Mr. Krabs' shell. As soon as the glass broke, Mr. Krabs snatched and cradled the Golden Spatula.

"Ah, thank you, thank you, thank you," Mr. Krabs gazed at the Spatula, his reflection within, like it was a baby. Had he been addressing the Guardians or the Spatula?

"What are you going to do with it?" Hotaru couldn't help but ask.

Mr. Krabs hugged the Spatula to his chest. "Keep it in my safe, o' course. What else would you do with perfectly shiny gold?"

"Spend it?"

"Gold is too precious to spend, like all money and Shiny Objects. You keep all o' it, that's what you do."

Money was to be used, useless if stored. Made no sense why Mr. Krabs would keep money instead of spend or invest it.

Red lights flashed. This time, Hotaru had breached the security system.

Above, the ceiling opened like a sliding door, and a ball quadruple the size of a beach ball fell from the hole. On top of the ball lay, sprawled, Chibi-Usa. In her civilian form.

Hotaru's mouth parted. Had Chibi-Usa de-transformed out of her own will or involuntarily because of distress, like what had happened to Minako?

Not even Hotaru would've believed that Chibi-Usa would crawl inside a ceiling. A potentially smart move that turned out to be her downfall.

Hotaru flew toward Chibi-Usa. The pink-haired Guardian's red-rimmed eyes shot to Hotaru. Chibi-Usa shut her eyes, ashamed to be seen crying.

"It's okay, Chibi-Usa-chan." Hotaru didn't have time to word it, but Chibi-Usa showing her emotions was okay, especially in front of her friends.

The ball and Chibi-Usa spun as they fell, Chibi-Usa tightening her grip on the ball, suppressing a scream and moaning instead. The ball fell onto a red slide, slid down.

The robots descended.

They'd taken over the security system; it followed that they'd be drawn to breaches, avoiding the Orbs of Confusion for obvious reasons.

"I'll take care of the robots," came Setsuna's voice from somewhere behind Hotaru. "You focus on saving Small Lady."

"All right." Hotaru quickened but, the farther the ball slid, the quicker it moved. A Chuck threw a water missile at a stone lever in the middle of the slide, a break where the lever hung. At the top of the lever hung a rolling ball-sized holder. Upon the missile's impact, the lever tilted downward, placing the holder at the end of the break. The ball rolled into the holder, and the lever tilted upward, dropping the ball onto a higher part of the slide. The Chuck laughed, Chibi-Usa letting her moan turn into a scream. She had to be dizzy.

Chibi-Usa and the ball rolled down the second half of the slide, toward another break. A missile whistled past Hotaru, into a button on the floor. A wooden gear-like object hung in the break, where a holder awaited the ball. The gear tilted so that the holder pointed toward Chibi-Usa.

Did the robots realize that they were saving Chibi-Usa, or were they missing her? Their aim was too particular for them to keep missing. Or they were torturing Chibi-Usa.

Hotaru grit her teeth, flying toward her friend. Wouldn't stop until she saved her friend who had saved her from herself.

The ball dropped into the holder, and the gear tilted upward, dumping the ball onto another part of the slide, a third split in the middle.

A third missile shrieked toward Hotaru. She whipped toward it but not before red-hot pain engulfed her. She shot backward. Everything burned, and she couldn't open her eyes. The robots' laughs, Chibi-Usa's scream permeating and then fading, filled her ears. Either Hotaru was flying away or Chibi-Usa was falling.

Assuming the reason was the latter, Hotaru burst energy around herself, brightening her black aura, flying through the smoke. She whisked her glaive, trying to clear the smoke so that she could see her friend. She broke through the smoke. Her eyes zeroed in on the falling Chibi-Usa and ball. Chibi-Usa hadn't transformed into Sailor Chibi-Moon. Either she couldn't muster up the concentration, grab her brooch, or she'd lost the ability.

Two Chucks and a Monsoon swerved in Hotaru's way. Hotaru was not having it today.

Raising her glaive, she shouted, "Silence Glaive Surprise!" Usually, she called her attacks in a normal voice or whisper. She was more distressed than she thought, especially since she'd launched one of her strongest attacks.

The black energy blasted from her glaive. The robots scurried, one Chuck hollering like a girl, a noise Hotaru never would've thought could come from a robot, before the beam shattered it. The other Chuck idiotically threw a missile, both the missile and the second, idiotic Chuck dissolving within the energy. The Monsoon had the sense to fly upward, dodging the blast.

The Monsoon jabbed a finger onto its remote control's button, and several clouds beat down. Tearing away her brain from figuring out how clouds in a cave made sense, Hotaru aimed her glaive at the Monsoon, and the robot scrambled every which way, partly out of fear, partly so she couldn't hit it. Its lightning-swollen, crackling clouds surrounded Hotaru, the lightning threatening to whip out like a snake and strike her. Paralyze her. Keep her from saving Chibi-Usa.

Hotaru roared, "Silence Glaive Surprise!" The black beam swept out from her glaive, and she swung, striking through and dissipating the clouds, slicing the Monsoon more ways than necessary. Living up to her name.

While its pieces rained, Hotaru flew toward the falling Chibi-Usa and the ball, both her friend and the ball almost out of sight. If the robots' distractions caused Chibi-Usa's death, then Hotaru would morph into the epitome of destruction.

Yet another Chuck swept below her and pelted a missile at the ball.

Hotaru hadn't seen the Chuck coming.

The missile exploded on the ball, its water fanning. Couldn't see whether Chibi-Usa had been hurt; it didn't seem like the water had directly hit her but covered the ball instead. The ball changed trajectory, sailing in the opposite direction. Hotaru should've saved Chibi-Usa, but her anger bested her. She released another Silence Glaive Surprise, destroying the Chuck, but not before it threw a missile, which struck the water ball, sending it sideways.

Chibi-Usa hollered.

Hotaru flew upward, toward the ball, as her heart dropped. Suddenly, Sailor Pluto flew beside her, Hotaru faintly hearing her apology for not defeating the robots.

The ball broke through the wall, revealing Ami and SpongeBob standing, gawking.

Hotaru barely paid attention to them. Her vision had tunneled so that she saw solely Chibi-Usa and the ball.

She would never again let her friends down.


	37. No Quarter

**Chapter Thirty-seven: No Quarter**

Chibi-Usa hadn't been able to stop crying.

Wiping tear after tear, she found a hidden tunnel in the Mermalair's security tunnel, crawled until she reached the ceiling, stashed herself in a dark corner between a ball and the wall so that no one could find her, so she could let everything out without judgment or pity. De-transformed; she wasn't worthy of being a Guardian if she wasn't strong enough to protect anyone or any place.

She kept replaying and drowning in what Helios had said to and done for her, like a movie she couldn't press pause on. The tears gushed.

A princess should not be crying with so much ugliness.

Sailor Moon's beauty radiated like a beacon, King Endymion's handsomeness made women faint, but Chibi-Usa's ugliness, her bouncy, strange pink hair and red eyes that she couldn't have inherited from either of her parents, with their soft, blue eyes; her pale skin; her dainty mouth, out of which came a shrill voice; her short stature combined to create an ugly, precocious-looking shrimp. She hadn't grown in nearly 500 years and was still immature.

Helios had called her his maiden, saved her because he thought that she was powerful enough to rescue him, but now, he was nowhere to be found. Perhaps trying to build Sailor Moon back up so that she could save him, instead of wasting his time with Chibi-Usa, the weakling. Besides, Sailor Moon was worth comforting; she could break the Golden Crystal's seal. Chibi-Usa couldn't attack without Sailor Moon, so how could Helios think that she was capable of breaking a seal? Chibi-Usa wasn't worth saving anymore, especially since she wasn't the one Helios sought.

 _Who are you to tell me who I'm looking for, little maiden?_

Chibi-Usa's breath hitched. "Helios?" she whispered. Darkness surrounded her. She hung her hopes on him returning and telling her that she was the one who was mistaken, was powerful enough to save him. That she was beautiful, the one he'd been seeking his whole life. That he loved her more than anyone else, even someone as strong and beautiful as Sailor Moon.

But nothing happened.

A cruel trick of the mind. Her imagination deceived her into thinking that Helios cared about her.

Foolish Chibi-Usa. Such a child.

The door under her had slid open, and Chibi-Usa fell and rolled for a time, becoming dizzy. Hadn't known what was happening but had heard Hotaru and Puu, crashes and breaking and shouts and mechanical laughs.

Not only was Chibi-Usa foolish, but she was also useless.

Chibi-Usa must've looked like an idiot, de-transformed, rolling atop a ball down a slide, holding onto that ball for dear life, nauseated. She'd rolled and heard the booms and explosions and hadn't been able to do anything but keep rolling.

An explosion had rocked the world, and Chibi-Usa shot upward and then sideways, crashing through a wall. Water had drenched her. She didn't lose consciousness—at least de-transforming hadn't taken away her physical toughness.

Chibi-Usa had bounced around like a pinball and then fallen, the ball crushing her, on a disco floor.

She gagged and coughed and was quickly losing air and couldn't survive by herself and needed her friends. If only she could transform.

A black wave slammed into the ball, knocking it away, taking away the pressure. Hotaru and Puu stood over her, Puu reaching down to help her onto her feet. Chibi-Usa lay, sprawled, on the flashing disco floor, weak and dizzy, but another faint thought niggled away that she should move before the floor turned red and burned her and her friends.

She mustered up the energy to grab Puu's hand, and Puu whisked her into the air.

Puu's deep green eyes saw through Chibi-Usa. Couldn't hide anything from the Guardian of Space and Time.

Burning spread behind her eyes. Her vision blurred, and she sniffled, and the tears flowed. Crybaby.

Puu's eyes softened. Pitying her.

Chibi-Usa had distracted Puu, Hotaru, Ami, and SpongeBob from their mission of saving the Mermalair, and she'd distracted Helios from finding Sailor Moon. Even transformed, Chibi-Usa was useless, Pink Sugar Heart Attack the weakest out of all the Guardians' attacks.

Puu drew Chibi-Usa to her, making her feel safe but pitied more. The tears flowed faster, drenching Puu's collar, and Chibi-Usa's snot had to be messing up the older Guardian's bow and brooch. Chibi-Usa pulled away from Puu, wanting to hide when there was no place to go. Everyone had watched her cry. Everyone knew that Helios not only wasn't her maiden, but that Chibi-Usa cried when she didn't get her way.

"It's okay, Small Lady. We love you, no matter what."

Chibi-Usa didn't want to look at Puu with her swollen, red-rimmed eyes.

Someone else floated beside her. Hotaru said, "Chibi-Usa-chan, you don't have to cry. We'll be by your side forever."

Even though she'd de-transformed out of overwhelming emotion, run away from her problems instead of facing them and accepting the facts, they'd stand with her. Perhaps Chibi-Usa was worthy of being loved. Helios wasn't the only one allowed to love her. She was surrounded by friends and family, including Usagi's family, like Mama Ikuko and Shingo (although Shingo didn't show his love, she liked to think that he loved her).

She couldn't hide her emotions from her loved ones. They knew her too well. More and more, she was finding that she didn't want to hide anymore.

Had to let things out to have a true relationship, or the relationship was built on air. Air couldn't hold under pressure.

Chibi-Usa dared to open her eyes, showing Puu and Hotaru and Ami and SpongeBob the havoc crying had wrecked. They stared at her with love, not pity.

"Thank you, everyone. I appreciate all you've done for me." Her transformation brooch began to shine. She'd already gotten her upgrade; would she get another? Hopefully, she could transform without Sailor Moon.

The same words that she had used to transform alongside Sailor Moon came forth. "Moon Crisis, Make-up!" The hearts enveloped her, shielded her from all. A physical manifestation of love, surrounded by her friends and her desire to protect them and the citizens of Bikini Bottom. Crying wouldn't solve any crisis.

Energy filled Chibi-Usa, and she felt Sailor Moon's power from Sand Mountain. Even when they were in different places, Sailor Moon supported her.

The pinkish-white light surrounding her brightened. She might not be the one Helios sought or as powerful as Sailor Moon, unable to transform without drawing on Sailor Moon's power but, alongside her friends, she'd defeat her enemies.

The light faded. The bow on Super Sailor Chibi-Moon's suit hung between Puu's fingers. While she'd transformed, Puu had held her, protected her alongside Hotaru, SpongeBob, and Ami. Any robot who dared to attack would find a swift end.

While she'd transformed, she'd stopped crying.

Chibi-Usa looked up at Puu, Hotaru, Ami, and SpongeBob. They'd given her power. They were here for her, weren't going to leave.

Like Chibi-Usa had left Helios.

Even if the Pegasus wasn't seeking Chibi-Usa, she should at least have stayed to help him find Sailor Moon. She had to rectify things.

For now, they were in the middle of an impending fight.

On the disco floor stood a prawn, on two legs, clad in a purple vest, like a waiter's. He slow-clapped. "Oh, boo hoo." He whipped out a handkerchief and blew his nose. "How moving."

SpongeBob whipped toward the prawn. "Prawn, you fiend. How dare you interrupt our moving moment of clarity and character development?" More insightful than he looked.

Prawn scoffed. "Character development? You call that soap opera drama character development? I call it a waste of time, an exercise in self-pity, excessive self-reflection, self-worship—"

"Is your only superpower putting others down?" Hotaru said.

Prawn deflated, like he'd been hit with an anvil. He sputtered, "How witty." He flipped an antennae. "My power involves frustrating and overthrowing others through menial things, like staining dishes with marinara sauce so they can't be washed in a dishwasher, putting soap in the Invisible Boatmobile's gas tank and, most heinously—oh, I'm so proud of this one—mixing red socks with white socks in the washer so that they all turned pink."

"Prawn!" The yell nearly burst Chibi-Usa's eardrums. A whistling noise entered her ears. Had Mermaid Man's shout caused ear damage? Heck, wasn't the round superhero supposed to be at a doctor's appointment? If he could yell like that, then he must be healthy.

Chibi-Usa rubbed her ear and then checked her finger—no blood, no ruptured eardrum, all good. Mermaid Man, shaking a fist, and a sighing Barnacle Boy stood near the Containment Area's entrance.

"Pink!" Mermaid Man yelled. The whistling in Chibi-Usa's ear grew louder. Weren't people supposed to become more soft-spoken as they grew older?

Prawn threw back his head, laughing. "Yes, Mr. Pinks Socks has joined us. Excellent."

Mermaid Man pulled up his pants leg, glanced at the pink sock he wore, and gasped, dropping the pants leg and turning away from his ankle.

Barnacle Boy waved his arm. "Gah, ya old coot, wearing pink socks isn't that bad. At least no one can see them."

"But I can. And I can _feel_ them. And they burn." He shook his fists at his sock-covered ankle. "These evil socks must be vanquished. In fact, they would be vanquished if they wouldn't leave my feet cold and bare and my bunions aching."

Why did old people always detail their health issues so that Chibi-Usa would have nightmares? She'd dream about an attack from giant bunions tonight, guaranteed.

"Darn you for turning his socks pink," Barnacle Boy said. "I haven't heard the end of it since."

Prawn ran a finger on his antennae-like mustache. "A pleasure. My life wouldn't be complete unless I disturbed the mundane, ordinary things in your life. Making you a teensy bit more miserable outside of fighting crime is what I live for." He narrowed his eyes at SpongeBob. "What are you supposed to be, anyhow, talking about character development and mushy nonsense like that? Some kind of mold?"

SpongeBob growled. "I'm a sponge, darn you. You should get your eyes checked if you can't see the clear cellular difference."

Chibi-Usa looked to Ami and Puu. "Is that true?"

Setsuna rubbed her arm. "Truth be told, there are cellular differences among us all."

"In other words, you have no idea." Was Puu pulling her leg with some vague answer?

"A lesson from Dr. Science." Prawn let out a yawn. "Just as boring as pink socks. So boring that no one notices them."

Mermaid Man's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Sure. If you're a blind cat." He broke into laughter.

Hotaru tightened her grip on her glaive. "How cruel." Although she'd never been bullied, she had a special place in her heart for bullies. Chibi-Usa confided in Hotaru the times she'd been bullied in the thirtieth century, thanks to her appearance and heritage, which was why Chibi-Usa's only friend for a long time had been Puu.

Mermaid Man rolled up his sleeves. "Just for that, I'll take care of you single-handedly. As soon as I change into my secret identity—Mermaid Man."

Chibi-Usa's mind blanked. "Does Mermaid Man have another secret identity?"

"A secret identity behind the secret identity…" Hotaru said. "Sounds ingenious."

"Yeah, it would be," Barnacle Boy said. "If the old coot had a secret identity."

Mermaid Man wandered behind the cave, raising a fist.

"Oh, no, he really is trying to change into his nonexistent secret identity." He stepped toward the cave. "You all had better take care of Prawn while I wrestle Mermaid Man back to what little sense he has." Barnacle Boy ran after Mermaid Man. "Now you move fast."

SpongeBob planted his feet. "Our superheroes have entrusted us, mere baby grasshoppers, with defeating the evil villain, Prawn. We must take this responsibility seriously, or else the Mermalair will be destroyed."

Chibi-Usa squared her shoulders, raised her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope. She wouldn't let anyone down this time. Nor would she get in anyone's way.

* * *

Prawn was a fiend who must be defeated. SpongeBob's superheroes were counting on him. They'd entrusted him and the Guardians with throwing Prawn back in prison. He could not lose, or else he'd never be able to face Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy again. His superheroes would remember SpongeBob as a failure instead of a budding superhero.

SpongeBob searched his brain for any of Prawn's weaknesses that had been revealed in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's television show.

SpongeBob blew a bubble bowl, spinning the bowl on the tip of his index finger. "Prawn attacks using his funnel, everyone. He uses the sound waves from his funnel to blow out your eardrums."

Chibi-Usa slammed the palm of her hand against her ear repeatedly. "Great. Because Mermaid Man hasn't wrecked my ears enough."

"What are you doing, standing over there?" Prawn said. The group had remained a distance away from Prawn, near the Villain Containment System area's entrance. He gestured toward himself. "Come over here. Don't be shy. I don't bite. Hard." He whipped out a remote control from his pocket, pressed the button. The ground dropped, the Guardians taking to the air, Setsuna grabbing SpongeBob by the collar.

Prawn peered up at the group. "You can fly. No matter." The disco floor that he stood in the middle of lit in yellow, red, only a few squares at a time remaining white. "I guess this floor is irrelevant." He tapped his chin. "Or is it?"

"Are you trying to psych us out?" SpongeBob said.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I would love it if you came over here so you could make sure."

"I may be gullible, but I'm not that gullible. All you want us to do is step on that disco floor to get burned."

"That floor keeps you safe, too," Chibi-Usa said. If no one could walk up to Prawn because of that disco floor, then Prawn was safe. Not to mention the snowflake curtain that surrounded Prawn, keeping attacks from reaching him. However, Prawn's own attacks could reach through the curtain. One of the flaws in the security system that the robots had exposed and Prawn was exploiting.

Setsuna aimed her Garnet Rod at Prawn.

"Don't waste your energy, Setsuna," SpongeBob said. "Your attack won't work."

"I want to test it. Find some sort of weakness."

SpongeBob racked his brain for a weakness in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's snowflake curtain. Something in the television episodes or books or fanzines or official magazine... But their design was brilliant. "It doesn't have any weaknesses. It's impenetrable."

Setsuna narrowed her eyes, dark light swirling inside her rod as though it were sucking in the darkness from the Mermalair. Setsuna could command the dark? She drew back her rod. "Then—"

"Hold on a sec. I just remembered that the snowflake curtain can't be touched by hands or any other warm body, but it can be penetrated with beams and other non-living things." He spun the bubble bowling ball in his hand. "Like this." He tossed the bowling ball. The ball spun through the curtain, past Prawn. Carried by Setsuna, SpongeBob's aim wasn't accurate.

"This shouldn't be too hard," Chibi-Usa said. "If our attacks can reach him, then we can take care of him quickly."

"We should reactivate the security system somehow so we can capture him again. That security switch has gotta be around here somewhere." He'd watched all 12,565 episodes of _The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy_ a gajillion times, had thought he'd memorized every detail of the Mermalair, but couldn't remember where the darn security switch was.

Chibi-Usa flew forward. "I'll look for it."

Hotaru grabbed her arm. "Not without a partner."

"Uh, right. Sorry." She bit her lip. Four screens were erect around the area, showing a close-up of Prawn and his smirking face. "I don't know where to start, but we'll figure it out." She and Hotaru flew behind one of the screens.

SpongeBob, Setsuna, and Ami had to keep Prawn from running out of the snowflake curtain and amok in Mermaid Man's sock drawers, turning them into every color of the rainbow, maybe rainbow itself. Maybe SpongeBob could hire Prawn to tie dye on his socks.

Prawn aimed his funnel at SpongeBob. Ultrasonic waves emitted from the tuba-like instrument. Setsuna flitted sideways, out of the ultrasonic waves' way.

Maybe SpongeBob could use his flying bubble, like he had against the Dead Moon Circus.

Before SpongeBob could ready the missile-like bubble, a second stream of ultrasonic waves boomed past him, pulsing his ears as each ring flew by. SpongeBob hollered, covering two of his holes. Thanks to his holes, every sound was amplified. Covering only two of his holes wouldn't do much good against a train of ultrasonic waves.

He began to dance right in Setsuna's arms. Was trying to do the cha-cha, and Setsuna, instead of fumbling to keep him in the air, froze, her hands twitching, possibly trying to keep herself from dancing, too. Not only could that tuba boom out ultrasonic waves that could tear out eardrums and make someone dance uncontrollably but, upon impact, it could tear off a body part or two.

Setsuna began to salsa in the air, tried to time her salsa with SpongeBob's cha-cha so that she could catch him, but their limbs entangled in a knot. At least they kept hovering.

The ultrasonic waves fumed past once more, a shriek wrecking his eardrums. When the scream passed, the beeping from the screens, the blinking beeps from the disco floor, the sounds around him, were muted.

Grabbing at himself to still himself, SpongeBob peered up at Setsuna. "Can you hear me?" His own voice was softer, but SpongeBob wasn't soft-spoken.

"Yes." Her own voice was softer. Her brow creased, and she glared at Prawn, any threat in her demeanor stolen by her salsa. "Those ultrasonic waves are taking away our hearing. Normally, humans wouldn't be able to hear ultrasonic waves, but I can hear Prawn's."

"I'm losing my hearing, too." Beside them, Ami did the foxtrot to nonexistent music. All three of them were losing their hearing. Not good.

"It's gotta be the power of his tuba," SpongeBob said. They might not be able to hear attacks from potential robots.

And the potential robots were becoming real.

Black balls flew from the snowflake curtain, elongated, morphing into Ham-mers, another feature of the robots' tampering with the security system. The robots wheeled on the floor, around the area outside of the disco floor. They couldn't reach the Guardians from where they were.

One threw its head of ham, the stick upon which the ham was perched flying end over end.

SpongeBob raised his bubble wand, but his cha-cha kept him from aiming his mouth at the wand and blowing a bubble. Despite his movement, the ham slammed into SpongeBob's face, and miniature versions of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy also did the cha-cha in his vision, wearing sailor suits, like the Guardians.

Setsuna's limbs blurred. SpongeBob fell. The lights stopped flashing, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy faded. Prawn's laughing face was blown up on the Mermalair's screens. How dare Prawn mock the Mermalair?

Doing the cha-cha, SpongeBob waved his bubble wand, timing himself just right so that he managed to blow jet propellers that extended over his feet. He flew forward, waved a bubble wand over his head, creating the jet-propelled helmet, quickening his flight. Prawn's laugh stopped, and he stiffened. He scowled, aiming his tuba toward the flying and dancing sponge. Two thin, transparent lines snaked from the tuba. SpongeBob changed direction, flying upward, only for him to cha-cha right into one of the lines, striking his chin, stripping the sponginess away and revealing part of his skeleton.

A millisecond later, another bubble, not his own, extended around SpongeBob, separating he and Prawn. He looked over his shoulder. Ami aimed the palm of her hand toward him, eyebrows arched in worry, foxtrotting back and forth, moving like a praying mantis. How had she aimed?

"Too late. I'm sorry," she mouthed. Perhaps she said the words, but SpongeBob couldn't hear well. Her eyes fell to SpongeBob's chin, the skeleton, and her pupils contracted. Was she afraid of SpongeBob's natural self?

Prawn emitted ultrasonic waves from his tuba once more, but the waves bounced off the bubble in which SpongeBob was suspended. Shielding him.

Ami and Setsuna flew before the bubble. SpongeBob couldn't just watch but had to fulfill his superheroes' commands, or he'd be exiled from the Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy fan club, of which only SpongeBob and Patrick were members, and then Patrick would be the sole member left. Worse, Patrick would have to do the exiling, which involved a ritual of smearing tapioca on the offending person, making said person act like the giant monkey man, and then ignoring the person for the twenty-four hours.

The bubble helmet and the jets on his feet sucked in the air and then propelled him through the bubble. He hovered between Ami and Setsuna. Setsuna glanced at SpongeBob, unsurprised that he'd burst through Sailor Mercury's amplified defense, while Ami gaped.

"That's the second time…" she said.

The sponge did the cha-cha faster. "Did someone else break through your allegedly impenetrable defense? Who? Who?" Perhaps this person was another superhero.

Prawn yelled (his yell seeming like normal conversation, compliments of the hearing loss), "I may be small, but that doesn't give you the right to ignore me." More thin lines burst from his funnel, whipping toward the Guardians and SpongeBob.

"Here's a chance to combine our attacks," SpongeBob said to Ami. They couldn't let each other down.

Sailor Mercury raised her hand, her legs blurring like an ant's as she foxtrotted. "Ready? I'm going to use Mercury Aqua Mist."

He raised his bubble wand. "Sure am."

The jet of water thrust forth from her hand, and SpongeBob blew a stream of bubbles into the jet of water, enlarging it. Prawn recoiled. He scurried out of the snowflake curtain and behind a Ham-mer.

SpongeBob could control the direction of his bubbles by moving his bubble wand, but his bubble wand was being primarily controlled by his uncontrollable cha-cha. Like a broken fire hydrant, both SpongeBob's and Mercury's combined attack whipped back and forth, Mercury no longer controlling her attack once it was released.

The jet of water and bubbles crashed into both the Ham-mer and Prawn, breaking the robot while Mermaid Man's archnemesis crashed against one of the screens, its shattered pieces raining into the darkness. Sparks crackled around the broken screen and Prawn. Lights flashed, and the Mermalair plunged into darkness.

SpongeBob's heart halved. What had he done?

* * *

Chibi-Usa and Hotaru had looked behind nooks and crannies for the security system's switch. How on earth could two fogies who were losing every one of their five senses and their brains have hidden the switch well?

Chibi-Usa was looking under the disco floor, Hotaru searching on the other side, when a crash reverberated above. Prawn was sprawled on a shattered screen, sparks surrounding the villain. The Mermalair darkened. Couldn't see the platform, couldn't see her pink pigtails. Couldn't see anything but the sparks.

Like a heat seeker, the sparks zipped to Chibi-Usa, electrocuting her. She was screaming again. The tears poured, the pain was so great. Hadn't she cried herself out earlier?

The flashes grew more uniform, like a light was spreading. She parted her eyes, and the warm light enveloped her.

Helios, his piercing yet gentle red eyes aglow, appeared, still a Pegasus. The pain disappeared, and the warmth grew, not only from the light, but at seeing her prince again. She could make things right. Despite her earlier revelation, she couldn't bear to face him. She wanted to be with him, but she couldn't.

He hovered close to her. The wall behind Chibi-Usa kept her from retreating from him like she should've. She wasn't worth it. "My young maiden."

"Y-yours?" She shut her eyes, shook her head. "But I'm not. We already went over this."

"Usagi, open your eyes."

No one had called her by her full name in…she couldn't remember when. Everyone called her Chibi-Usa because she was the Usagi's small daughter. Even Puu called her "Small Lady."

Chibi-Usa opened her eyes.

The light around Helios shimmered, domed him, faded. Helios hovered before her.

A human.

Clad in pure white robes, he stood before her, his judgeless, loving red eyes looking into her own, the ruby embedded in the middle of his forehead, the horn crowning his head. Her heart fluttered, and she couldn't breathe.

 _Beautiful._

"I didn't make a mistake. You've proved, over and over, that you are my maiden, the one I've waited for, for centuries to have the chance of meeting. Now that I've finally met you, I don't want to let you go." He leaned forward, resting his forehead on her brow, the ruby upon his forehead pulsing with heat.

He brushed the tears from her eyes. Of course she'd started crying again. "Please don't cry." He touched his lips to hers. So gentle, so loving.

Had to be a hallucination. "Are you, are you really Helios?"

Helios nodded. "I'm limited to this form for now. The enemies have trapped me someplace far away from here. But I know you can save me, Usagi, with your friends, your mother and father helping you. No matter what you look like, no matter how you behave, they'll always love you. Including me. You're beautiful, elegant, and magnificent. Don't forget that."

A blush radiated from Chibi-Usa's cheeks. "But I can't do anything for you. I can't free you from your prison."

"It doesn't matter. I want to be with you, Usagi, for you who are, not what you can do for me."

Chibi-Usa held his hands. "Helios, I…" Despite her incompetence, he wanted to be with her. He thought she was worth everything. She didn't know what to say, so she dared to brush her lips over his. Wasn't quite at the point where she could open her lips and kiss him fully. But the tenderness in her heart…

"I'll come see you again. So please don't cry." He brushed his fingers to her cheeks, showed her his dry fingers. No more tears.

He faded, and so did the light surrounding him and Chibi-Usa. The light had shielded both from the raging fight.

The electricity surrounding her had disappeared, too. Helios saved her again, not because she was weak, but because she couldn't do everything by herself.

She was his maiden. He was her savior and friend. No, he treated her as someone more than a friend. Not quite her lover, but Chibi-Usa didn't have a name for who Helios was to her.

Chibi-Usa straightened. She was Princess Usagi Tsukino, and she was as powerful as her mother.

* * *

When the lights turned off, Ami kept doing the foxtrot—couldn't freeze like she wanted to, but her foxtrot wasn't as quick as before. The effects of the ultrasonic waves were wearing off.

All thought whistled out of her mind. With her I.Q. of 300, she should've been able to think more quickly, should've jumped into action. But jumping into action before endangered her and her friends. Taking her time and planning was best.

Grunting, Prawn shook himself. Must be trying to get his wits about him again. Beside her, SpongeBob deflated.

"I failed my superheroes," he squeaked out. His voice deepened. "But the battle isn't yet over. We shall fix this together."

Ami smiled. There was the optimistic sponge she knew.

Prawn pushed, peeling himself off the shattered screen, more shards slicing him. Even though the cuts seemed deep, he didn't bleed. Perhaps these sea creatures couldn't bleed, as though the Guardians were trapped in a cartoon in which blood was forbidden from being shown. He wiped his mouth as he began to fall. At least Prawn couldn't fly.

He aimed his tuba at the disco floor and emitted ultrasonic waves, pushing himself upward, lowering slowly instead of freefalling.

"He's vulnerable." Sailor Pluto, no longer doing the salsa, pointed her Garnet Rod toward Prawn. "Here's our chance."

The electricity jumped below Prawn. Chibi-Usa screamed, prickling Ami's skin with bumps.

She and Setsuna flew toward Chibi-Usa. SpongeBob remained hovering near Prawn, yelling, "I hope you're okay, Chibi-Usa. Don't worry. We'll take care of Prawn. Just keep, uh, screaming, I guess."

Chibi-Usa fell silent, and a light enveloped and blocked the Guardian from view. Ami, Setsuna, and Hotaru, who had hurried beside them, stopped in front of Chibi-Usa. Didn't know whether to approach or leave her alone.

 _Don't worry. I'm keeping my maiden safe, taking away her pain._

Ami covered her mouth. "Helios? Did you two hear that?"

Setsuna regarded the dome expressionlessly. "I did."

Hotaru pursed her lips, nodded.

Wasn't Helios supposed to be able to communicate to only Chibi-Usa and through dreams instead of telepathically? Was he gaining power?

As much as Ami wanted to watch Chibi-Usa, she had to support SpongeBob. Prawn was alive and well.

Trusting Setsuna and Hotaru to make sure Chibi-Usa remained safe, Ami flew beside SpongeBob. Prawn had stepped onto the disco floor, glaring at SpongeBob and Ami.

"I'm sick of this fight. Leave me alone to torture my nemesis through pink socks." For such a small creature, Prawn had a loud voice, even though Ami had suffered hearing loss. Her hearing was gradually returning, but another blow from those ultrasonic waves might deafen her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ami saw a hand reaching over the disco floor. Touching at the floor as if feeling for something.

That hand with a pink bracelet on its wrist looked familiar.

Another hand extended, pushed up.

CereCere broke over the surface, Fisheye, blinking slowly, hugging her leg.

CereCere's eyes shot to Sailor Mercury. She stared at Ami, not scowling like she usually did. Ami bit her lip. Here she was, face-to-face with her enemy, and her genius mind was frozen.

If her mind wasn't going to work, then she'd make her body work. Wouldn't let her heart rule this time.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" The jet of water burst from her hands, slamming into CereCere's head and knocking the ringleader and Fisheye down.

Prawn watched the two fall. "These two must also be your enemies. The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Burst solid, opaque waves from his tuba that swept underneath CereCere and Fisheye, the Dead Moon Circus members falling upon them. The waves drew upward.

Why was Ami feeling relieved? They were out to kill her. But, when CereCere had climbed over the disco floor, killing intent hadn't been in her eyes.

Ami wanted to save CereCere and Fisheye—Fisheye because he was CereCere's…friend? Whatever their relationship, CereCere trusted him, giving Ami a reason to save him, too.

She might not have all the answers, and her brain and heart were wrestling each other—her brain telling her to kill her enemies, her heart telling her to save them—but the compulsion to save them couldn't be ignored. Perhaps the Dead Moon Circus had a purpose, too. Besides, with her knowledge and intelligence, she'd discover the answers, protect her friends. After saving them, if the Dead Moon Circus tried to hurt Ami's friends, Ami would take full responsibility, rescuing her friends, subduing her enemies. Understanding her enemies enough to empathize and help them.

The mind and the heart could work in tandem.

A light flashed near Setsuna.

"Princess Mercury."

The voice sounded like Ami's own but higher, more soft-spoken. Setsuna peeked over the floor's surface, eyes wide.

Setsuna glanced at Ami, floated higher, revealing a bright light glowing in her cupped hands. Wrapped in the light was a miniature version of Sailor Mercury.

Ami wasn't the only one who had stopped the fray to look. Prawn had, too, the ultrasonic wave on which CereCere and Fisheye had landed still floating, the two members of the Dead Moon Circus staring at the lights emanating from Setsuna and Chibi-Usa.

The miniature version of Sailor Mercury winked at Ami and then returned her attention to Setsuna. "Thank you, Princess Pluto, for keeping and protecting Princess Mercury. Your wisdom and guidance have been instrumental in her growth. You've helped her not succumb to the nightmares inflicted by her enemies. Now, you've brought her to this turning point."

Setsuna's mouth parted. "Me, her keeper?"

Miniature Sailor Mercury nodded. "That's right, Princess Pluto. You are one of the most important people to her. You've influenced her more than you realize, from your love for her." Her gentle eyes settled on Sailor Mercury, and Mercury's heart warmed. "The same love she shows her friends and mother every day."

 _Love…_

Miniature Sailor Mercury floated closer to Sailor Pluto's face, no larger than Pluto's nose, facing Ami. "Princess Mercury, you don't gain knowledge for your personal benefit, for your own pride. You've thought that you're being selfish when you choose to study instead of be with your friends, but that's not true. You study to protect your friends. You gain knowledge so that you can know your enemies thoroughly and pinpoint weaknesses. You gain knowledge so that you may know your friends perfectly, so that you can protect them from their own weaknesses. You gain knowledge so that you know your own weaknesses and have others' strengths compensate. You gain knowledge of this world so that you can guide others. You gain knowledge because you love the world and your friends.

"But your knowledge is only one part of what makes you powerful, Princess Mercury. Your desire to understand your enemies is an act of love. Your empathy for others shows your love. Sometimes, you follow your heart instead of your mind, but that's okay. Your not killing your enemies is an act of humility, showing your desire to understand them and your realization that they can teach you things, too.

"No matter what nightmares your enemies try to manipulate you with, remember your true dream." Another light glowed within Miniature Sailor Mercury's hands, the light forming into a heart. "Take this, Princess Pluto."

Setsuna took the heart-shaped light.

"This is for your protégé. It's for you to present to her, to show her the next step in her growth, in her quest for knowledge." To Ami, she said, "Don't be afraid to listen to your heart, to let your knowledge and your heart shine; both your mind and your heart are equally important." The light flickered, began to fade.

Ami reached toward the light. "Wait. Who are you?"

A giggle from the light. "I'm you, silly." The sprite of herself faded, leaving the heart-shaped light in Sailor Pluto's hands. The light solidified into a crystal reflecting rainbow light.

Setsuna touched the crystal to her heart. "You've grown so much since I met you, Ami, and I'm glad that I've helped you. I look forward to watching you move forward and helping you continue to develop into a beautiful, wise woman."

"Thank you. For showing me the power of knowledge, of the heart and the mind. I'll make you proud, Setsuna-san."

"You already have." Sailor Pluto held the crystal to Sailor Mercury. "Please, show us more of your power."

Ami took the crystal, and power flowed within, the light spreading around her. Her mission and her dream were aligned. She would gain all the knowledge she could, learning from and depending on others to defeat her enemies and protect her friends, the Moon Kingdom, and the Earth.

She held the crystal to her brooch, and the crystal attached itself to her brooch like a magnet. Like it belonged there.

She raised her arm, wanted to drown in the power, but she had to retain some semblance of self-control.

Nevertheless, the words came, unbidden. "Mercury Crystal Power, Make-up!" The light around Sailor Mercury darkened into a light blue, the color of the ocean. Water flowed around her, like it was being absorbed from not only the ocean but also anyplace that water resided—ponds, lakes, sinks. The water swirled, the more nearing her, the more power filling her. The water blanketed her. Her comfort, her protection, her power.

A harp etched within the rippling water. "I am the Mercury Harp." Another high, soft voice, this time, from the conscious harp. "With me, you can drive out any nightmare."

Ami took the harp. With this, she'd defeat the nightmare that was Prawn.

The water around her was sucked into her harp, and a blue aura surrounded her harp. "Thank you, Sailor Pluto."

Sailor Pluto hovered behind Mercury. "Do what you believe is best, Super Sailor Mercury."

Super Sailor Mercury faced Prawn, raising her harp. She'd play a beautiful melody that would drown out the noise from Prawn's ultrasonic waves. Only gorgeous melodies could overpower noise.

Prawn aimed his tuba at Sailor Mercury, releasing CereCere and Fisheye from the waves' safe grasp. The two Dead Moon Circus members fell, but SpongeBob blew a bubble, the bubble encasing the two and floating them up.

"What are you doing?" came Hotaru's voice.

"Ami wanted to save them," SpongeBob said, "so I'm helping her. I trust her. Like her mini-me said, she has a bunch of knowledge that she uses for our good." His gaze lingered on Fisheye. "And we have much more in common than we think."

Fisheye worked his mouth, staring at SpongeBob. Couldn't bring himself to glare at the sponge.

Scowling, Prawn burst ultrasonic waves and two-pronged waves simultaneously from his horn. Ami would end the noise so no one would be subjected to it again.

She strung and stroked her harp, and the high melody emanated. Ami had never learned how to play the harp; she was improvising, but the rhapsody that came was gorgeous, relaxing, but powerful, commanding and gathering water around her. The name of her attack came to her. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The water around Sailor Mercury stopped swirling and shot toward Prawn.

Prawn's pupils contracted. "No, no, not again." He shook his tuba, jostling the waves. "C'mon, you stupid thing, get stronger." The ultrasonic waves remained the same size, continued moving at the same speed. Unlike Sailor Mercury, Prawn didn't have anyone to strengthen him. The jets of water engulfed Prawn's waves. "Oh, no, oh, no." He scurried backward, but Mercury's wave of water slammed into Prawn, shooting him toward the snowflake curtain.

"Here's my chance." Propelled by his helmet, SpongeBob zipped around the containment area. "There it is." The blur that was SpongeBob stopped above the top of one of the screens, where the last security system button must be. He looked at the flying Prawn. "Someone, help me get the timing right."

"I'll tell you when." Sailor Pluto narrowed her eyes, glancing from Prawn, to the snowflake curtain, to SpongeBob, to the security system's button, and back. Kept looking between them. "Ready…now."

A bubble bowl flew from SpongeBob's hands, bounced off the button just as Prawn entered the snowflake curtain, and ice began to freezing the curtain, beginning to encase Prawn.

"This can't be." He reached toward his pants. "Argh, the frozen wedgie, it burns." The ice crystallized around him, just before he could reach his pants.

Prawn was contained once more.

SpongeBob wiped his hands on his own pants. "Yes." He spread his hands. "You've helped redeem myself for my earlier failure. Not only that, but Prawn will have a wedgie forever. Better than simply being imprisoned in ice." He bowed deeply, sweeping his arm across his chest. "I thank you." He grinned. "Plus, you've gotten stronger, Ami."

Ami looked over herself. The bow on the back of her skirt had lengthened, but she looked identical to her non-Super form. No wonder Patrick declared that Minako looked the same.

But Ami didn't feel the same.

"Aww, I missed all the action?" Suddenly, Chibi-Usa was floating near one of the screens, Hotaru beside her. "And your big power-up, Ami?"

Ami smiled sheepishly. "Well…"

She huffed. "At least I saw Helios." Her eyes softened. "He helped me so much. I'm glad I'm not a burden to anyone."

Sailor Pluto raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that, Small Lady?"

She blinked. "I guess…I did." Her eyes grew distant.

"You should stop telling yourself those types of things," Hotaru said. "You taught me to not say bad things about myself. You always saw the good in me, Chibi-Usa-chan, even when others saw nothing but someone who could cause destruction. You've taught me that I'm much stronger than I think I am. A lesson that Ami seems to have also learned today."

Yes. She had.

Chibi-Usa's expression blanked. "I taught you all that just by being nice to you?"

Hotaru stared at Chibi-Usa. Her cheeks puffed. She broke into laughter. Chibi-Usa laughed, too.

Setsuna faced the bubble, where CereCere and Fisheye had watched everything, both of their eyes wide, perhaps with fear. Fearful they should be. "What do we do with these two?"

"I think we should keep them with us for now," Ami said. "I, I don't understand why, but I feel a compulsion to keep them alive." Despite not feeling brave, she mustered up the courage to look in Setsuna's eyes.

"Like SpongeBob, I trust your knowledge," Setsuna said. "If you think it's best to keep them alive, then we will. However, we should keep them captive."

"Agreed."

"I trust you, too, Ami." SpongeBob outstretched his arms. "Especially after that explosion of power you showed earlier."

"I do, too," Hotaru said.

"So do I," Chibi-Usa said.

"As do we." Barnacle Boy stood near the area's entrance, pinching Mermaid Man's ear, the tip red. "Congratulations. You've saved the Mermalair."

Mermaid Man snatched his ear from Barnacle Boy's fingers. "Yes, Prawn's safely contained in the containment area once again, all thanks to you, Frankie, and Leila"—he pointed to Chibi-Usa, who quacked (Chibi-Usa's sign of confusion?)—"and the fifty-foot woman"—pointed to Setsuna who mockingly looked over herself, telling Ami that she didn't think she was that tall, was she? (Ami only chuckled, not knowing how to respond)— "and the Black Crusader of Justice". He pointed to Ami instead of Hotaru.

SpongeBob, hands planted on hips, said, "Our, our names are—"

"Ah, don't bother," Barnacle Boy said, waving a hand. "The old coot won't remember anyway. I gotta say, Black Crusader of Justice is a cool name. I suggest that you keep it."

Hotaru's eyes twinkled, and her mouth twisted into a grin. "Maybe another name for me?" A black aura surrounded her. Being sinister gave her an aura. Who knew?

Chibi-Usa recoiled. "Scary."

Barnacle Boy jabbed his thumb toward the bridge leading out of the containment area. "By the way, when you get a chance, go press that Master Shutdown Button, will ya?"

SpongeBob dashed across the bridge, a yellow blur. Seconds later, he returned, skidding to a stop beside Barnacle Boy. "Done. Anything else, your superherolinesses?"

Barnacle Boy croaked.

The Mermalair's lights flicked on, and the computer monitors showed the Rolling Ball Area, the entrance, other areas of the Mermalair. Boulders fell from the ceiling, and mechanical screams echoed. Having regained control of the security system, the Mermalair Computer was destroying the remaining robots.

Mermaid Man reached into his pocket, took out a Golden Spatula. "Here. As thanks for saving our precious Mermalair from all the evil you can imagine."

SpongeBob's eyes sparkled as brightly as the Golden Spatula. Carried by his ecstasy, he floated to Mermaid Man, took the Spatula, cradled it in his arms. "Thank you, Mermaid Man." He hugged the Spatula to his chest.

"Now he's just getting creepy," Chibi-Usa muttered.

"We'll cherish this generous gift forever." He rocked the Spatula back and forth.

"Even creepier," Hotaru said.

Ami warmed. They loved SpongeBob, weirdness and all. And they loved, supported, and trusted Ami. She still had a lot to learn from her friends. They were smart in more ways than one.

Ami didn't and would never know everything. With her friends by her side, she didn't need to.

Together, they'd fill in the gaps.


	38. The Trenches

**Chapter Thirty-eight: The Trenches**

Usagi and Mamoru were supposed to tell each other everything. Not keep secrets. Not push each other away.

As she, Mamoru, Haruka, Makoto, and Sandy rode the taxi up the winding roads leading to Sand Mountain, Usagi replayed the incident in her mind's eye. Mamoru coughing blood in front of everyone. Everyone finding out alongside Usagi, even though Usagi should've been the first to know. He should've told her as soon as it started happening, but he'd thought that he could solve the problem before Usagi found out.

Now he was suffering the consequences; she wasn't speaking to him, either.

Hopefully, he felt the pain that he'd inflicted upon her.

No, she couldn't be vindictive, weaken their relationship. He may try to push her away, but she didn't have to retaliate. Had to speak with him privately. Mamoru must be mentally preparing himself for whatever emotions poured from Usagi. Especially since Usagi herself wasn't sure what wrath she'd unleash.

She'd tried to smile through the pain so that no one would worry about her, but the looks that her friends, especially Mamoru, were giving her said she wasn't doing a good job. As the sole Guardian powerful enough to defeat the Dead Moon Circus, she had to be strong. Yet another burden, added to being the Moon Princess, the one who'd reign over the Moon Kingdom should anything happen to Queen Serenity.

The flounder driving whipped the taxi around a spiral, shoving Usagi into Makoto beside her, Makoto knocking into Haruka, who bumped into Sandy, who hit Mamoru. The driver spun the wheel 360 degrees, and the taxi's wheels screeched as the vehicle turned up another road winding in the opposite direction of the one they had just ridden upon, swinging the group the opposite way. Usagi's cheeks and mouth squelched on the window, leaving a mark.

"No eating in the cab," the driver barked.

Sandy's brow creased. "Who's eatin'?"

"Blondie over there, eatin' against my window. Unsanitary and against the rules."

"Ah'm nawt eating," Usagi said, mouth pressed on the window. "Yaw're tawning too hawd."

The driver slammed the wheel the opposite way, Usagi's mouth popping off the window, she and her friends lurching. "What?"

"We don't have any food," Haruka said. "And no one's chewing." She muttered, "You need to get your eyes checked." At least she kept her rudeness somewhat quiet.

Usagi had to close her eyes, force a grin, and bear the taxi driver's awful driving. Thank goodness they were close to the mountain.

Sand Mountain towered above Bikini Bottom, the tip of it touching the sun. However, as the group approached, other, smaller mountains atop the main one appeared, as though the biggest one was a base camp for the others.

The Dead Moon Circus likely awaited the Guardians, Sandy, and Mamoru on the mountain. What kind of havoc were they wrecking in the meantime? Couldn't be much; Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon's Moon Gorgeous Meditation must have knocked them unconscious for a while.

Not only did Usagi and her friends have to defeat the Dead Moon Circus, but Usagi and Mamoru had to mend their relationship. Working alongside each other wouldn't be pleasant while they were embroiled in emotional turmoil.

"Lots o' folks go to Sand Mountain durin' the winter, when it's too cold to go to Goo Lagoon." Sandy's eyes grew wistful. "Ah, I haven't been to Sand Mountain in so long. I love skiin' down the different slopes and racin' against Larry n' SpongeBob. But now we're goin' to work." She punched the palm of her hand. "Darn robots're takin' away all the fun places where you can relax."

Up and up they went, Usagi's ears popping. They rode between smaller mountains that resembled dunes.

A fish on skis tumbled down one of the mountains, falling on the taxi's windshield with a _thunk._ Another spun down, splatting beside him. The taxi driver turned on the windshield wipers, sliding the skiers off.

Haruka crossed her arms. "Does that happen often to you, sir?"

"Mm-hm. Gotta get `em off as soon as possible. Can't have their saliva gumming up my windshield."

Usagi gaped. This man cared more about his windshield than injured people?

"An expert windshield wiper, wiping everything off, including people and hurting them even more than they are from falling down a mountain." Haruka, saying things others were thinking but too afraid to say.

"Thankfully, folks down here don't get hurt real bad when they fall." Sandy shrugged. "Heck, all folks mostly do when they come up here is fall down, anyhow."

Usagi gazed out the window. Instead of skiing down the slopes, fish toppled, rolled, and bounced down the mountain. At least she wasn't the only person who lacked physical prowess.

Makoto's expression betrayed not a hint of excitement at skiing. Usagi didn't see her engage in athletic activities often. She was sometimes insecure about her height and natural athleticism. Maybe she didn't want to add fuel to the fire by skiing or playing baseball or exercising.

On the other hand, a grin spread on Haruka's face, her eyes dancing. Unlike Makoto, Haruka basked in her reputation as a tough, athletic racecar driver. She'd go skiing no matter what, even with Sandy the squirrel.

Haruka skiing alongside a squirrel… Quite a sight.

Usagi had better not even near the top of a mountain. With her clumsiness, she'd trip and plunge down. Since she wasn't made out of the iron that the sea creatures were, she'd get hurt. Badly.

Under normal circumstances, she'd stay far away from anything resembling something remotely athletic. She was allergic to balls. They were like bug spray, killing her if she touched them.

As long as Mamoru was at her side, she wasn't scared. He'd take her by her hand and guide her down the mountain, protecting her. He'd take the brunt of the hits.

She dared a glance. Stoic, as usual.

She might as well not try to figure him out.

Sandy's tail flicked. "Aw, man, I can't wait to get out on the slopes. I feel like I haven't let loose in a long time."

It _had_ felt as though Usagi and her friends had been in Bikini Bottom for years, but less than two days had gone by since they'd arrived.

They passed several mounds of sand until stopping at the base of another slope, a sign supposed to be reading, "Welcome to Sand Mountain" at the entrance. Compliments of the robots, several letters had been rearranged. "Wel, Come to Sad Nount, Man" was written on the sign instead.

The Guardians, Mamoru, and Sandy slid out the taxi, the driver speeding up a mound and then, wheels screaming, tore down the mountain.

Haruka let out a breath. "I'm glad that ride from hell is over."

The group walked through the wooden gate. Smaller mountains walled the one through which the group walked. A Duplicatotron stood on one of the platforms, pumping out Fodders; Chomp-Bots; and Bomb-Bots, robots slightly smaller than Fodders that resembled bombs, a red light blinking atop each of them. Perhaps they exploded when one stepped too close to them.

A ski lodge was erect to their right, teepeed with toilet paper. Either the robots were the culprits, or kids had vandalized the lodge.

Based on the way two kids below ran in circles, trying to outrun the robots, likely not.

The boy and girl slipped and slid on a patch of ice. A sandman—a snowman but made from sand instead of snow—had been built on the ice. A Fodder wheeled atop the ice and then skidded every which way. It managed to control itself enough to reach the sandman.

"Don't you dare," the boy shouted.

The Fodder laughed, that mechanical noise rattling its head. It raised its electric wand, touched the sandman's belly, smoke rising from the sand.

"You'll destroy him."

Cackling, the robot plucked a chocolate chip cookie that had been embedded on the sandman's torso, serving as one of the sandman's buttons. The Fodder swiped the cookie into its jutted-out mouth. Crunched the cookie and then froze, grasping at its throat. It howled a cross between a laugh and a holler, like it was trying to laugh at its own agony, its stupidity of trying to eat food. Electricity crackled around the robot, and it exploded, pieces of the cookie mixing with its remnants.

Haruka whistled. "Damn. I need an attack like that. Haruka, Guardian of Cookies." She ruffled her own hair. "My hair is kind of the color of a chocolate chip cookie. I think it fits."

Makoto chuckled nervously, forcefully. Trying hard.

The kids laughed. The boy yelled said, "See? Toldja ya shouldn't have touched my sandman."

Another Fodder zapped the boy's behind, and the boy shot into the air, morphing his laugh into a scream, smoke billowing from his behind.

"Augh, that's why I can't enjoy some exercise. These blasted robots beating everyone up."

Usagi looked toward the nasally voice. Squidward stood to the group's right. When had he joined them?

Squidward massaged his forehead. "This is the absolute worst. I go down the mountain, and SpongeBob and Patrick, those two barnacle heads, they're waiting down there to annoy the daylights out of me, and those robots are down there too. Now those robots have made it all the way up here, so I can't avoid them. No peace and quiet anywhere." He rumbled a half-growl, half-whine.

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" The white beam burst from Mamoru's hand, piercing the remaining Fodder whose wand had been raised, stopping its approaching the girl. The robot burst. The beam kept going, striking and destroying the Duplicatotron.

Usagi bit her tongue, suppressing an accusation that Mamoru was quick to attack and protect, telling him that he should've quickly told Usagi about his coughing fits.

Haruka took to the air, toward the flailing, butt-charred boy. She caught the boy in her arms, but he shrieked into her ear. Haruka pulled her head back.

"Hey, hey, I'm a friend."

The boy screamed louder. Wincing, Haruka landed, placing the boy near his friend. The boy kept screaming, head darting every which way. Had the electricity messed with his brain and orientation?

Squidward plugged fingers into his ears. "Since there wasn't enough noise... I thought SpongeBob and Patrick were awful."

The girl snatched another chocolate chip cookie off the sandman, stuffed it into the boy's mouth, stopping his scream. The boy's eyes shot open, unblinking, and his pupils dilated. He chewed slowly. Gulped.

"Delicious," he said, deadpan.

Squidward parted his eyes. "Is it safe now?" 

Makoto nodded. Squidward unplugged his ears (his ears weren't visible but on the sides of his head; Usagi couldn't fathom these creatures' anatomies).

He sighed. "Oh, more humans. Some humans have been treating me well, and some haven't."

Usagi tried to smile. "Um, well…" Was he referring to her accidentally hurting him in Jellyfish Fields? She'd rectified the mistake by retrieving King Jellyfish's jelly. Wasn't all forgiven?

"Anyhow, I could use your help."

Haruka scowled. "What, no thanks before you spout off another request?" 

Squidward snapped his head at her, like he was surprised to hear her speak in such a manner to _him_. "I suppose that's reasonable. Thank you for saving me from those robots." He shuddered, looked over his turquoise skin. "I'm too delicate to be zapped by anything else. My beautiful, soft, smooth, glowing skin radiating with the sunrays, ruined, covered by burns thanks to those robots… Yuck." His eyebrows arched. "If only I could get away from these horrible robots." He placed an arm over his forehead. "Alas, there's no way to escape them."

Makoto raised a finger. "We could clear out the robots. That's what we're here for."

"I'm glad you volunteered."

Haruka coughed.

"If you destroy every robot, I'll give you a Golden Spatula as a reward."

Whatever the Golden Spatulas were for, collecting them didn't hurt. They must have some value.

Haruka cupped her chin. "I dunno. That's cheap for fighting all these robots in this huge place."

Squidward stuck up his giant nose. "Well, too bad. That's my price, and I'm sticking to it."

She turned toward the entrance. "In that case, have fun getting zapped on the butt while trying to ski. Oh, and while you're at it, we might bring SpongeBob and Patrick. They'd be happy to come spend time with you. Maybe massage your zapped butt." Had known Squidward for fewer than five minutes but had his number.

He recoiled. "Okay, okay. For each slope you clear, I'll give you a Golden Spatula. How does that sound?" 

"Much better."

Squidward deflated. "Thank goodness. Even you humans are insane. At least Sandy's sane."

Sandy placed a paw on the back of her helmet. "Aw, thanks, I guess." Three lodges stood ahead. She pointed to one of the lodges with the number one above its door. "As y'all can see, there are three lodges—three mountains for folks to ski down. One of `em's called Guppy Mound. It's the easiest slope, so I suggest we start there, especially since them goshforsaken robots are prob'ly prowlin' around over there."

Usagi put up her hands. "Oh, no, I don't ski, I've never skied, and I'm not going to start today." Not when there were a bunch of robots waiting to electrocute her, throw ham at her and knock her off the slopes, and huff rancid breath into her face. Perhaps when she and Mamoru were alone on the mountain, he could wrap his arms around her waist and guide her down, whispering in her ear how to—

"Usa?" Mamoru's voice cracked. Shy. The first word he had spoken to her since leaving the treedome, and her name was the best he could do?

A blush bloomed on her cheeks. "What?" 

"You went silent for a while. Uh…" He scratched the side of his head. This was the first time he had spoken directly to her since, in the treedome, he'd asked her what she'd seen, even though everyone knew that she hadn't been concerned with what was happening outside. Had he been trying to make her look like a bigger fool?

Or he was trying to take her embarrassment away. Not in an intelligent way, but at least he was trying.

"Yes, I'm okay. Just thinking." Thinking about what she and Mamoru could be having.

Everyone stared at her. Good going, drawing more attention to herself.

"Anyhow, we should go," Usagi said, half-laughing, half-speaking. "I, I mean, we shouldn't stall any more." She ran toward Guppy Mound. Mercifully, without another word, her teammates followed.

The group waited at the base of the mound for the ski lift. The alleged mound was a mountain that towered above the group. The wind was knocked out of Usagi. No way was she going down that "mound." 

"This is supposed to be the easiest one?" Usagi said, nearly breathless.

"Sure is," Sandy said. "I know it don't look like much." 

"Don't look like much…"

Sandy played extreme sports almost for a living, but this "mound" must look intimidating to the most experienced skiers. Usagi's clumsiness forbade her from doing any physical activity other than walking.

The ski lift descended. The group clambered on and sat, squished. The lift began to ascend.

Time stretched. The farther they went, the farther the "mound" swelled, unending.

The group neared the top of Guppy Mound. Usagi's eyes bulged. The slope was broken into several paths, some crisscrossing over one another. If one fell off the slope, then there were no safety nets. Whoever fell would die. Good realization.

Ami said that the way people reacted to danger, fighting or fleeing, was innate. When protecting her friends and fighting her enemies, Usagi fought. When it came to things like skiing down gargantuan mountains, Usagi flew. How could anyone think skiing down this death trap was fun?

Mechanical cackling from above. Monsoons and Chucks hovered above, the Chucks throwing Fodders, Chomp-Bots, and Bomb-Bots toward the group.

The Bomb-Bots exploded upon impact, hurling the group off the ski lift. Smoke and redness blinded Usagi, heat ripping her skin. She rocketed through the air, crashed on the slope, and rolled. From far away came Mamoru's voice calling her name, Mrs. Puff's yell of, "Pushed again!"

Usagi had avoided skiing only to roll down the slopes instead.

Because her humiliation with Mamoru wasn't enough, she, the Moon Princess, had been reduced to the main character in a slapstick comedy.


	39. Hypervigilance

**Chapter Thirty-nine: Hypervigilance**

In the back seat of the cab, PallaPalla jumped up and down, JunJun slumped beside her, cupping her chin, eyes dull with boredom.

PallaPalla pressed her face into her sister's. "How can you be bored when we're down in a new world?"

JunJun drew back. "I'm right here. You don't have to shout."

"You're no fun." Pouting, she turned her attention out the window, at the mountains towering above, the sky swirling around them. Hawk's Eye sat next to JunJun. He hadn't stopped grinning since laying eyes on the mountain range. According to Plankton, Sand Mountain was the highest natural place in Bikini Bottom. A playground for Hawk's Eye.

PallaPalla reveled in the undersea world. The varieties of fish; the golden sand; the expansive, flower-filled sky; the wonders of Bikini Bottom created a place worth exploring. CereCere had said the Dead Moon Circus must tread carefully, but PallaPalla would still have fun.

She enjoyed more of life than her sisters and the Amazon Trio. Shouldn't the Amazon Trio, who she'd blessed by transforming into humans, embrace life more? Humans dominated the world. The Amazon Trio wasn't basking in their newfound power.

Why? They didn't miss being animals. Maybe they were discovering how much power they wielded bit by bit, especially when interacting with animals that had once been predators, like sharks for Fisheye, eagles for Hawk's Eye, and poachers for Tiger's Eye.

PallaPalla was adapting to and relishing in the power Queen Nehellenia had bestowed to find the Golden Crystal and fill the world with nightmares. If her queen had given her indescribable amounts of power while trapped inside a mirror, how much more power would she reward PallaPalla with upon release?

Maybe Queen Nehellenia could make the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio immortal. They could rule the nightmare-filled world together. No more worrying about where their next meal would come from, nor others harming them, even the Guardians, who wouldn't be able to do anything but obey.

The cab rode up and up and the mountains stretched and the houses below shrunk into dots and the skyscrapers didn't look like they scraped the sky anymore. The farther they went, the more Hawk's Eye's eyes sparkled. The happiest the former hawk had been.

Once the Guardians were defeated and the Dead Moon Circus had overtaken Earth and space, PallaPalla's sisters and her creations would always be happy.

A weird sensation filled PallaPalla's ears, like they were being suffocated with water. She gasped.

"What's wrong?" JunJun said.

"I-I'm losing my hearing." PallaPalla pulled her ears, trying to restore her hearing. "I'm going deaf. Help, help. Everything's fading away."

JunJun's expression flattened. "Swallow."

PallaPalla swallowed. Her ears popped, and her hearing returned as quickly as it had disappeared.

"I can hear again. Are you a wizard?"

A smile twitched onto JunJun's face. "Nothing but common sense." She laced her hands behind her head. "Amazing how many people think common sense is some kind of secret power."

"In my short time in this form and around humans," Hawk's Eye said, "I've seen that common sense is uncommon."

"Oh, yeah. Big time." JunJun blew. "Even CereCere lacks common sense to an extent. Like when she stood there while the Guardians attacked during our last performance."

PallaPalla tapped her chin. "Why _didn't_ she do anything? Doesn't she care about us?"

"Of course. Maybe she was trying to assess the situation. But if I were her, I would've gone all VesVes and attacked without thinking. And I did go a little VesVes." She scratched the side of her head. "Maybe a little too VesVes."

"It's okay." PallaPalla wrapped an arm around her sister. "We're getting stronger, and we'll kill those Guardians, no sweat."

The cab driver's eyes bulged. "Did I hear you say you're going to kill people?"

"Ye—"

JunJun slapped a hand over PallaPalla's mouth.

"You're not making yourself look less guilty."

"A slip of the tongue is all," JunJun said.

"Your voice is shaking. You're really not making yourself look innocent. At all."

JunJun cleared her throat. "I mean, my sister was talking about k-k…" Glanced at the ceiling, like she was trying to think of a word that sounded like "kill." "She was talking about cleaning people. We clean for a living. We clean houses, bedrooms, bathrooms, and, and people."

The cab driver blinked. "That's…a weird business."

"Not weird, just not understandable by the general public. Have you ever let anyone clean you, sir?"

The driver shuddered. "No, and I never want to."

JunJun jabbed an elbow into PallaPalla's ribs, and PallaPalla hiccupped. "That was a close one. You almost blew our cover."

"I didn't know we had a cover."

"A word of advice: Never tell other people you're going to kill someone."

"Oh. You should've said that."

Hawk's Eye rolled his eyes. "Common sense is starting to sound like a gift from the gods alone."

The cab stopped near a ski lodge, a wide-open area, devoid of robots, an octopus standing some feet in front of them, kids playing tag below on an ice-covered lake.

Too peaceful.

The octopus raised an eyebrow. "More humans? Aren't you supposed to be with your other human friends?" He shooed them with his hand. "You barely missed them."

"Did we?" JunJun said, delight touching her voice. "That's too bad. We'll have to find them." Ever the acrobat, she moved so quickly that she seemed to disappear and reappear in front of the octopus. "Why don't you help us find these other humans?"

Sweat broke onto the octopus' forehead. "No, thanks, I'm perfectly fine standing here and minding no one's business but my own. You and those other humans can knock each other silly."

Scowling, she pressed her forehead against his, his giant nose squashing her small one. "You think those Guardians can defeat us?"

The octopus' pupils contracted. "I didn't say that at all."

"You're implying that they can," JunJun shot back. She had her VesVes moments.

"Listen, please, please, listen. I was on my way to save two fragile old men from robots attacking their Mermalair. I'm saving the elderly. Please don't hurt me."

"The Mermalair, huh?"

"That's where—"

"Quiet, PallaPalla," JunJun barked.

PallaPalla huffed. "Why do you guys tell me to be quiet all the time?" She was speaking the truth.

"Because you don't want to give away that those old men have a reward for anyone who saves their Mermalair from the robots." JunJun drew back from the octopus' face. "Oops. I gave it away."

"How subtle," Hawk's Eye muttered.

"Shut it," JunJun roared. She kicked the sand. "It's too bad we won't be able to collect the prize."

The octopus cocked his head. "What prize?"

"I heard it was a one-of-a-kind painting that they got from some museum."

The octopus clasped his hands. "The world-famous Rock Bottom Museum. Oh, they have the most beautiful artwork there. They're the only ones who have the taste to showcase my deep, insightful self-portraits. Maybe their reward is a painting of me. Anyone would be lucky to have one." He walked toward the mountain's entrance. "Maybe I'll save the Mermalair, get the painting, and give it away myself and autograph it for the lucky person. How pleased they'll be."

Once the octopus was gone, JunJun said, "He was too annoying to use."

PallaPalla shrugged. "We could've captured him to use against the Guardians."

"Good point. Maybe we shouldn't have let him go." She cracked her knuckles. "Anyway, no use crying over spilled milk. It sounded like the Guardians are here. Let's follow the trail that they left and beat them once and for all."

* * *

Cape rippling behind him, Mamoru flew after Usagi, Mrs. Puff behind his future wife, both rolling down Guppy Mound's slope. As awful as it sounded, Mamoru preferred to save Usagi first. One of the other Guardians could save Mrs. Puff. He had to prove that he cared about Usagi, whisk her someplace private so they could talk. Mamoru and Usagi could handle whatever enemies they encountered alone and, more importantly, they'd start mending their relationship by fighting together.

Usagi deserved to be told everything that was happening with him; she was strong enough to handle adversity. She'd proven her strength time after time when fighting their enemies and when Chibi-Usa had transformed into Black Lady. If Usagi could handle her own daughter turning against her, then she could handle the black blood and Mamoru's dreams of the dying Elysion.

Beside him, Haruka and Makoto flew, leaving Sandy at the top of Guppy Mound, but the squirrel whipped out a sandboard and jumped on it, sliding down the slope.

"Y'all may be able to fly, but y'all ain't havin' all the fun." She lassoed the air, eyes narrow as she aimed at Usagi and Mrs. Puff, both looking like rolling logs, bumping over rocks and crevices.

Usagi couldn't help but scream, ashamed to roll down the slope, looking like a fool. But to Mamoru, she always radiated beauty.

Could Mamoru rescue Usagi from embarrassment that might scar her for years to come?

Once they were alone, he could tell her that she didn't look that bad…and look like more of a jackass.

Maybe he could tell her that it wasn't her fault, and she'd be embarrassed anyhow.

He sighed. Trying to comfort significant others was one of the woes of being a man. No matter what he said, he'd be at fault.

Mrs. Puff bounced off a rock and fell onto a higher slope. The pufferfish rolled over a button. The mountain quaked, and a sandball that was the size of three beach balls combined broke free from a small mountain, crashing onto and engulfing Usagi, her arms, legs, and head sticking out. Tears fell from Usagi's eyes as the Moon Princess cried, "Why is this happening to me?"

Mamoru's heart cracked. If they weren't fighting, then she would've sat beside Mamoru on the ski lift, and he could've protected her from the robots, preventing her from rolling down the slope in the first place.

He quickened. Couldn't destroy the sandball with Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, or he might vaporize Usagi too. Mamoru would be recorded as the worst boyfriend in history.

Thunder Tikis stood ahead, Wooden Tikis stacked atop. If Usagi hit those Thunder Tikis… She was close enough that, if someone made them explode, the explosion would reach her.

As Usagi rolled toward them, her screams grew louder. She squeezed her eyes shut. Bracing herself for impact.

Mamoru was close enough to her. He dove in front of the sandball, spread his arms, praying he was strong enough.

The sandball slammed into him, shoving him toward the Tikis. He gritted his teeth, pushing against the sandball. He slid down the slope, tried to walk forward, but the sandball had too much momentum.

Robots' cackles echoed from above, mixing with Makoto's and Haruka's curses. The robots must've started attacking the Sailors Jupiter and Uranus.

No way would the robots keep Mamoru from saving Usagi.

He wished he could make pushing the sandball look easy to alleviate the fear and worry in Usagi's eyes. His love wasn't skilled at hiding her emotions but was teaching Mamoru that showing his emotions was okay.

Mamoru let his pain show through his grit teeth, the sweat and veins pulsing from his forehead, his grunts. Usagi watched every bit of strain showing.

She loosened her hands. Grew less tense.

Beginning to trust him again.

Still they scraped backward. Mamoru's back heel touched one of the Thunder Tikis, and it exploded. The others burst in succession, blasting he and Usagi forward. Sand pelted him.

Usagi hollered. He had failed her. Again. She always saved him, but he could never save her.

Usagi, Mamoru, and the sandball's remnants flew, the world blurring. Mamoru forced open his eyes, grabbed for Usagi's hands. Usagi reached for him, and they grasped each other's hands. No matter where they ended up, they'd be with each other.

Sand rained about the two, and the wind whistled in Mamoru's ears. They slammed onto the ground. Mamoru hugged Usagi to him so she didn't slip from his grasp, so he didn't fail her again.

By the winding, crisscrossing slopes surrounding them, they had a ways to go until they reached the base. Guppy Mound was gargantuan.

Mamoru tried to stomp on the ground to take to the air, but his foot couldn't gain traction. The two weren't slowing, like the sand was made of ice.

He twisted this way and that, bumping down the slope, swerving he and Usagi past Tikis. Usagi helped by leaning her body in the same direction that Mamoru swerved. Thankfully, she wasn't letting her emotions take over her need for self-preservation. A woman scorned could do many vindictive things, even hurt herself to hurt the scorner.

Would Mamoru dare smile at Usagi as thanks? Doing something simple suddenly seemed complex.

They bumped up the end of a slope and were propelled once more. Mamoru tightened his grip on Usagi.

"You're choking me." She wasn't calling him, "Mamo-chan." Hard to not worry about his love life when his love life was in his arms.

"Sorry." Mamoru relaxed his embrace, not so much that he risked losing her.

They flipped through the air, crashed on ice, sliding until bumping against a wall. The ice was as wide as an arena, and several sandy platforms were raised upon it. Duplicatotrons stood on each of the platforms. Behind each of the Duplicatotrons, embedded on the jagged wall, was a button waiting to be pressed.

Mamoru peered up. A gate stretched behind him. It might not open until the buttons were pushed. He and Usagi could fly, but fish would need to pass the gate.

The Guardians' and Mamoru's job was to destroy the robots. Avoiding the fray wasn't an option.

Fighting alongside his estranged girlfriend should be fun.

"Usa."

Usagi's scowl could've withered and felled the healthiest, sturdiest oak trees. Despite the Duplicatotrons pumping out Fodders, Chomp-Bots, Bomb-Bots, Ham-mers, Chucks, Monsoons, G-Loves, Usagi managed to be angry at him for saying his nickname for her, which she probably didn't want him to call her for a few days, months, or years.

He took her by the hands and helped her onto her feet. At least she didn't snatch her hands away. Wasn't like she had much choice but to work with him.

Besides, if she let him be killed, Chibi-Usa would wink out of existence, the Moon Kingdom could collapse… Usagi might be a woman scorned, but she wasn't stupid or impulsive. If Mamoru was fated to be with Minako or Rei, they would've killed Mamoru, the universe be damned.

As soon as she stood upright, Usagi yanked her hands from his. Not just because she was about to fight.

Usagi tried to step forward but slipped. Mamoru caught her. She looked at him, wistfulness touching her eyes, and then righted herself, whipping herself out of his grasp. Aimed her Moon Kaleidoscope at a Monsoon. Had to remember that Mamoru was the one who had bought that Kaleidoscope.

Mamoru coughed. "Don't you think we should come up with a plan of attack?"

"Sure." Usagi flicked her hand to his left. "You focus on those robots. I'll focus on the ones over here." Gestured toward his right.

She didn't want to fight alongside him. To avoid more of the scorned woman's wrath, the best thing to do was obey. For now, she was her master, and he, her servant.

Mamoru turned toward his right, keeping Usagi in his peripheral vision.

A G-Love swooped toward him, spinning, its hands blurring. Mamoru aimed the palm of his hand at the G-Love, launched Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber. The white beam pierced the G-Love and kept going, destroying a Fodder, three Bomb-Bots. His beam collided with the wall, quaking the mountain. Clumps of sand plunged from the peak.

 _Don't tell me._ Mamoru couldn't have caused another mess.

Couldn't have caused an avalanche.

More clumps plummeted down the mountain, hurtled down the wall's slope. Hastening, the clumps meshed together, bashing a Chuck that failed to dodge, nuts and bolts scattering. A sandball crushed a Duplicatotron, and the machine exploded, heat burning Mamoru.

Pointing her Moon Kaleidoscope toward the robots, Usagi had her back turned to the oncoming sandballs. She jolted as though she'd heard the sandballs and then swiveled around. Her eyes ballooned.

"What is going on?" Usagi looked around as though searching for a way out. Not turning to him for protection like she usually would. Hopefully, she didn't discover that he'd caused the avalanche.

She took to the air, aimed her weapon at one of the sandballs, drew back, biting her lip. Realized that she couldn't stop the avalanche with a beam of rainbow light.

Together, they could stop the avalanche.

Mamoru and Usagi would be forced to collaborate and communicate. Start the healing process. A weird, dangerous start, but better than the nothing they had going.

Mamoru flipped into the air, hovered beside Usagi, the robots below wheeling in all directions, some trying to escape but being destroyed by the cascade of sand and ice anyhow. Robot shards blended with the sand. Getting struck by shard-filled sand would not be pleasant.

A chunk of ice bounced off a rock embedded in the slope, toward Usagi. Mamoru dashed in front of her, ready to shield.

A Monsoon cackled.

Not now.

The Monsoon descended. It pressed a button, and clouds beat down on the three. Lightning crackled, swelled the clouds.

Grabbing Usagi's hand, Mamoru pulled Usagi away, but the clouds pursued, the Monsoon's head spinning in glee. No wonder Makoto hated these Monsoons.

The shard of ice hissed behind Mamoru and Usagi. Out of the corner of his eye, Mamoru watched a G-Love catch the ice in two of its six hands and then hurl the ice at the two.

Mamoru couldn't dodge in time.

They rammed into the ice.

Ice shards lodged themselves in Mamoru's arms, legs, chest. Usagi cried out. The shards were buried into her arms, legs, abdomen. He pulled her to him, tried to shelter her as much as possible.

The sky darkened. The clouds floated above them, and the lightning lashed them.

Both writhed, Mamoru failing to hold to Usagi. She fell, and Mamoru followed suit. They crashed into the sand. Sheets of sand and ice and robot shards covered them.

More sand submerged them, becoming heavier so that Mamoru couldn't fly he and Usagi out. Booms filled his ears as layers upon layers of sand crushed he and Usagi. The sand kept piling up, seemingly neverending, until the rate of the booms slowed, became fainter and then stopped.

Stillness and silence insulated them. Mamoru's world was only Usagi and the sand.

At least Mamoru was getting the time alone with her that he'd wished for.


	40. Penetration

**Chapter Forty: Penetration**

On her sandboard, Sandy slid down the slope, chasing the rolling Mrs. Puff. Barreling into Fodders, Chomp-Bots, and Bomb-Bots launched the robots off the mountain. Destroying robots and sandboarding at the same time? Sandy was in heaven.

Except she had to save Mrs. Puff, and thoughts about what the heck these humans were involved in niggled at her. They were embroiled in more drama than an Easter play.

SpongeBob and Patrick had no drama. Squidward was dramatic, but Sandy didn't mind his company on the rare occasions they crossed paths. None of the fish were involved in much drama, even Pearl, Mr. Krabs' daughter, as much as the whale proclaimed that she led a tough life, falling into dilemmas like whether to hang out at the mall with her friends or see a movie with that shark she met during fifth-period chemistry.

The humans carried tons of baggage and had brought more.

They could transform into superhumans, all thanks to being part of some Moon Kingdom that Sandy never heard of, despite studying and flying to the moon. The Moon Kingdom existed centuries ago. By now, its ruins would have deteriorated into dust.

Secondly, their enemies sought to kill them, and the humans had no problem killing their enemies, as shown by the kind Usagi and Chibi-Usa almost blowing up her treedome to annihilate the Dead Moon Circus. With leagues of monsters trying to end them, no wonder the Guardians and Mamoru had been suspicious of Sandy, SpongeBob, and Patrick.

Then the Dead Moon Circus had arrived alongside four new Guardians.

The humans had brought their beef with the Dead Moon Circus, which seemed to be deeper than they were letting on. Now they had to defeat not only the robots, but also the Dead Moon Circus. Plankton was working with the Dead Moon Circus. The tricky varmint had probably slithered into their heads, told them what they wanted to hear so he could use them to steal the krabby patty secret formula. Couldn't he put the energy he wasted to snatch that formula into thinking of a good recipe for his chum?

Sandy was glad that the Sailor Team was whittling down the robots. The humans had no allegiance to Bikini Bottom but were helping because helping was right, even though they could've returned to the surface anytime.

Curses from Haruka and Makoto behind her startled Sandy out of her thoughts. More robots had seemingly teleported to the mountain, attacking the two Guardians, as soon as Mrs. Puff had pressed the button, crushing Usagi with the sandball. The Moon Princess and Mamoru had then fallen, likely to the bottom of the slope. Well, the couple needed their alone time.

How could Sandy move faster? She scoured the slopes for handholds, anything that would propel her. Some wooden signs pointing in the directions of parts where the slopes split stood about. Perhaps she could use those.

Reaching one of the signs, Sandy gripped the top and pushed, quickening. Still, Mrs. Puff rolled faster than her, and Haruka and Makoto were distracted by the onslaught of Monsoons, Makoto's favorite robots; and Chucks, one of the most annoying robots. But the recently built Bomb-Bots might seize the Chucks' coveted crown of "Most Annoying Robot to Grace the Earth."

If Plankton wasn't in his lab building the robots, then who was?

Someone else diabolical had to be pumping out and building more robots, especially since Plankton had long been thrown out of his own restaurant. When Sandy and her friends reached the Chum Bucket, they could stop the culprit once and for all.

Sandy swerved around Tikis and then leaped over a gap in the slope, one that Mrs. Puff had flown over. White light flashed from behind, but Sandy didn't dare tear her concentration off the slope, off Mrs. Puff. With their experience and abilities, Haruka and Makoto could handle the robots.

Mrs. Puff tumbled through Tikis. Thankfully, she hadn't smashed Thunder Tikis, but the way she was rolling, she wouldn't be able to dodge if they appeared in her path.

Unhooking her rope, Sandy began to lasso, her vision tunneling so that she saw only Mrs. Puff. The squirrel threw, the lasso passing over Tikis, robots, diving toward Mrs. Puff.

A Chomp-Bot jumped, chomped on the lasso and held. Annoying bugger.

The Chomp-Bot gnashed its teeth, the lasso beginning to break, but the rope wrapped around Mrs. Puff, slowing her slide enough that Sandy was sliding faster than the pufferfish was. If Sandy pulled her lasso, then the lasso would snap.

Sandy whipped her lasso, sending a wave through it, under the Chomp-Bot and making the robot whip in unison. The Chomp-Bot's mouth popped off the lasso, and it scrambled in the air, shattered on the slope. Sandy's lasso had been chewed so much that it would break at a hint of tension. If Mrs. Puff moved farther away from Sandy or vice versa, then the lasso would break.

Using both paws, Sandy gripped her lasso and pulled herself toward Mrs. Puff. Thank goodness that karate made her ambidextrous, coordinated.

She reached the pufferfish. Sandy wasn't strong enough to carry Mrs. Puff, but she was close enough that her lasso wouldn't break if she pulled. Tightening her grip on her lasso, she pulled, slowing Mrs. Puff's slide as they neared the base of the slope.

More of those robots encircled her.

Both of Sandy's hands were tied up trying to save Mrs. Puff. If one hand let go, then Mrs. Puff would roll away.

The Chomp-Bots tackled Sandy, and the squirrel spun off the side of Guppy Mound, taking Mrs. Puff with her, the lasso snaking behind.

The world blurred. Mrs. Puff was a hand's breadth away, but at least she was quiet, used to such things happening to her, compliments of SpongeBob's lack of driving skills.

The two crashed in a dune of sand, sand bursting around them, ripping out Sandy's breath. Despite protest from her aching everything, Sandy bounced upright, raising her arms to chop the robots down. The Chomp-Bot and the other robots were gone.

Sandy straightened but didn't lower her arms. Had to be ready to fight, no matter how safe the dune seemed.

The area was nearly silent, wind caressing Sandy's suit (Sandy missed the feel of the wind kissing her fur), whistling in Sandy's ears despite her helmet.

Mrs. Puff brushed herself off. "Thank you, Miss Cheeks." Coughed out a cloud of sand. "I thought the robots had me. And I thought I'd only fall down the slope because of darn kids pushing me. Turns out I was wrong."

"Right." Mrs. Puff had terrible luck when it came to her physical well-being, between SpongeBob's boat crashes, to kids abusing her. "At least we're safe now. Sorta."

Sand was piled around them, so high that Sandy couldn't see where they'd wound up. No sounds but the wind surrounded them.

Sandy placed a hand on the back of her helmet. "Ain't dunes supposed to be made by people? Why's there nobody down here?"

Mrs. Puff opened her mouth, but Sandy answered her own question. "Wait a minute, dunes are made by wind. And there's lots o' wind down here. Of course."

"Of course," Mrs. Puff echoed, not sounding confident, like she was saying something for the sake of saying something.

Sandy didn't dare rest with the robots' history of surprise appearances. "Our big ol' group always separates to cover more ground, and then the robots separate us again once we get to these different places." She sighed. "Seems like we can never stay together."

Having nothing to say, Mrs. Puff didn't respond. Sandy was talking more to herself, so she didn't mind the silence to think. Hanging around SpongeBob and Patrick made for nothing but noise. Having a listening companion was a welcome change from nonstop quacking.

"Instead of complaining, I should be thinkin' of a way outta here."

"I can help too, Miss Cheeks. It didn't look like it when we were on the slopes, but I'm much more capable than I look."

Sandy bit back a response of, "I've seen." SpongeBob hadn't said anything, and neither had Mrs. Puff but, on the news, the squirrel had watched Mrs. Puff disguised as a thief, trying to steal SpongeBob's new boat. The boat-jacking was caught on camera. Mrs. Puff could unleash seven kinds of crazy.

The squirrel squinted at the expansive sky, the mountains piercing the horizon. If only there was a way to lasso their way out. Haruka and Makoto might not have seen Sandy and Mrs. Puff fall into the dune, so they might not know where the sea creatures were.

Sandy's ears perked. Something was coming. She backed near Mrs. Puff, fur prickling.

A head with blue hair poked over the dune's surface. One member of the Dead Moon Circus.

Didn't want to find out what this girl's powers were by attacking and making the girl counterattack. But the girl might use her powers anyhow.

The girl blinked at Sandy and Mrs. Puff.

Sandy kept glaring at the human. Had to watch her movements.

"I just saw some more of these humans in Rock Bottom," Mrs. Puff whispered. "It's hard to tell who's good and who isn't."

"These ones ain't good." The Guardians had explained that the Dead Moon Circus was trying to manipulate others' dreams.

If Sandy defeated this girl now…

The girl waved. "Hi, there. I'm PallaPalla."

Sandy forced herself to loosen, ready to attack. "Here to kick us while we're literally down?"

"Ooh, look at your fire. It'll make you much more fun to mess with." PallaPalla bared her teeth. "Now that you can't get away from PallaPalla, let's play." She whisked out a white stone from somewhere—Sandy couldn't see where, the place blocked by the top of the dune—and threw the stone, yelling, "Orb Blinds!" Darkness flashed, whipped out from the stone like a hand. Sandy gasped, her entire being yelling at her to run, but she had to protect the screaming Mrs. Puff.

Sandy karate-chopped the hand of darkness, making the hand flinch, but the hand grabbed at Sandy, the squirrel chopping and kicking and kneeing without effect.

The hand expanded and then clamped down on Sandy and Mrs. Puff. The dunes, the mountains, the sky melted into darkness.

Three monkeys, the most renowned scientists in the animal kingdom, sat at an oak table before Sandy, hands folded, their lab coats gleaming in the sterile lab's lights. Each of them had gotten their in what they called the bare minimum to be a scientist—subdermatoglyphic engineering, to manipulate hands and paws and study what their purpose was because they had to be able to do something other than pick things up and put them down. They had earned five more , along with being medical doctors. To acknowledge their multiple doctorate degrees, the monkeys preferred to be called Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Joe, Paul, and Simon.

Sandy didn't have any fancy degrees, but her lack of formal education didn't keep her from devouring engineering textbooks and inventing. Didn't stop the scientists from seeking her to study her newest, most impressive invention yet: a chip that would allow humans and land creatures to survive underwater, to live in harmony with the sea creatures.

"See here?" Sandy tapped the chip in her paw. "This here chip can make any land critter survive underwater, from a grown man to an earthworm. All ya do is pop it in your ear." If Sandy had been more arrogant, she would've added, "Impressive, ain't it?" Soon, she'd revel in the inevitable applause.

Dr. Joe hardened his expression. Dr. Simon peeled a banana and chucked it in his mouth. Dr. Paul straightened his monocle.

Sandy couldn't help but say, politeness be darned, "You sure don't look impressed." As a squirrel hailing from the southern United States, she had that good old southern charm and manners but had no problem being blunt.

"You cannot simply proffer a device and expect us to believe you when you orate that it works." Dr. Paul took off his monocle, blew on it and then wiped it with his paw. "To win the Bobel Peace Prize, your little chip must lead to peace between land and sea, humans and fish, all creatures who dwell on Earth." 

"That's an order taller than a pitcher o' Texas iced tea. But I'm up for the challenge. If y'all need me to prove that it works, go ahead and take off your suits, put these puppies in your ears. I brought a bunch of `em." She hadn't, but chips swelled the pocket of her deep sea dive suit. Amazing what could happen in dreams.

The scientists took her chips. A chill rocked Sandy, tensed her with anticipation. The most awe-inspiring, smartest scientists in the world using her invention was an honor.

They turned the chips over in their paws, Dr. Paul raising the chip to the lights, holding his monocle near the chip and then far from it. Dr. Simon rubbed the chip. They didn't believe that the chip would work but, as scientists, they had to test it. They zipped off their suits and then wiggled the chip into each of their ears.

Sandy couldn't help but grin, ready to hear the scientists sing praises, proclaim from their rockets that she had started world peace. Animals, humans, sea creatures could all literally be on the same playing field. They might not get along right away but, as they got to know one another, they could work together, covering others' weaknesses, exemplifying strengths. Perhaps the humans would share their food with squirrels and other animals so that animals didn't have to fight for scraps anymore. Perhaps the land creatures and sea creatures could build a new civilization together, no longer dividing their kingdoms. Sandy had seen how the humans dominated Earth, not always for good. With the humans and animals working together, they could restore the Earth to tranquility and safety, erasing pollution, dying plants, and reviving animals' habitats overtaken by humans' dwellings.

The scientists' faces darkened into purple. They grabbed at their necks, foaming at their mouths.

"Can't breathe…" Dr. Joe gasped.

Sandy froze. How could her invention not be working? She'd successfully tested it on herself, and Sandy had been on her way to bridging the gap between the land and the sea, the reason why she'd come to Bikini Bottom. She was going to study Bikini Bottom, pinpoint areas in which land creatures and sea creatures could collaborate and improve, merging both worlds, with Sandy serving as the ambassador for the land creatures, at least at first. But now, now…

Sandy's vision blurred with tears. This couldn't be happening.

Sandy reached for the scientists, had to stop them before they… Dr. Joe's and Dr. Simon's faces blackened, and they shriveled up, turning into dust that rained upon the floor, becoming no bigger grains of sand.

Making a noise between a blood-curdling scream and howl, Dr. Paul hurled himself at Sandy, reaching for her, nails on his paws lengthening into claws as long as a wolf's. He grasped Sandy's suit, tore at it, flakes of it scattering to the floor until leaving Sandy bare. He ripped the chip, alongside bits of fur and skin, out of his own ear, and pounded the chip in her ear. Unlike the countless times when she'd tested the chip, the pressure didn't lift but crushed her onto the floor, the lab's lights blinding her. Writhing, she choked on the water, grabbed for her throat. Her skin wrinkled and then swelled, expanding like a water balloon. She was absorbing the water.

She was dying.

"This is all your fault." Dr. Paul's voice was demonic, booming around the decaying lab, the table withering into ashes, the lights flickering and then reddening into a crimson as dark as blood, fire exploding from the floor. He roared, "You disgusting excuse for a scientist."

The flames towered around her and then, opening like a maw, rushed toward her, about to engulf and finish her. She deserved what was coming to her for slaughtering scientists, further isolating the land and the sea.

Dr. Paul's voice echoed, "You've failed all of humanity, all of fishkind. You have failed us all."

The nightmare fell away. Makoto, fist outstretched, stood before her, PallaPalla stuck in the sand, her legs wiggling out.

"How dare you attack my friends?" Makoto barked. Her face was flushed scarlet. Looked more murderous than a bull loosed from its pen.

Haruka stood beside Mrs. Puff, the pufferfish and Sailor Uranus behind Sandy and Makoto.

From above, JunJun swept in, grabbed each of PallaPalla's legs, and tugged. "Damn, PallaPalla, you got fat." 

"Hey!" came PallaPalla's muffled cry. JunJun popped PallaPalla loose from the sand only to collide with Haruka's fist, sending JunJun careening backward, sand erupting around her and PallaPalla as they bounced through the sand and then collapsed in the dune's wall, sand cascading around and burying them.

Hawk's Eye jumped into the dune, lobbing a Bomb-Bot, the robot exploding. Smoke surrounded the Guardians, Sandy, and Mrs. Puff, and the group hacked. Sandy couldn't breathe again. Saw the silhouettes flying away but didn't care. Had to breathe, couldn't die like she'd killed those scientists—

A hand gripping her shoulder jolted her, the smoke clearing. The Dead Moon Circus had escaped because Sandy couldn't breathe, because of her defective invention. The smoke wasn't the reason why she'd become paralyzed with fear, nor was it the reason why Makoto had decided to comfort her instead of defeat their enemies.

Because she'd overestimated her smarts, Sandy had fallen into deadly folly and taken others with her. Had no right to be called an inventor or a scientist. Because of Sandy, the Guardians hadn't been able to save the world.

"My husband…" Mrs. Puff's moan tore Sandy's attention away from herself. The pufferfish hid her head in the crook of her elbow. Broke into sobs. Then a cry. Then a wail. Haruka brought Mrs. Puff to her shoulder, but Mrs. Puff shoved Haruka away. "Don't touch me." She leaned on the dune's wall, quaking with grief. Haruka drew back. There was nothing she could do.

Sandy's legs buckled. The squirrel dropped onto her hands and knees, panting, sweat dripping onto and melting the miniscule amounts of snow upon the sand.

Makoto crouched beside her. "Sandy?"

Sandy brightened her voice. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." She'd never lost her calm, never had reason to fear. But the Dead Moon Circus had invaded her greatest dream, transforming it into her greatest nightmare.

Sandy tried to clamber onto her feet but fell. She planted her face into the snow and howled.


	41. The Torment of Comfort

**Chapter Forty-one: The Torment of Comfort**

Makoto had been distracted long enough. First, Usagi had started rolling down the slope. To make matters worse, a snowball had crushed Usagi. She, Haruka, and Mamoru weren't flying after her quickly enough. Meanwhile, Sandy sandboarded after Mrs. Puff, swerving around Tikis, jumping over gaps.

The robots had attacked Makoto and Haruka, stopping the two from rescuing their friends. Any time wasted was more of a chance for Usagi and Mrs. Puff to be lost.

At least Makoto had gotten to fight alongside Haruka one-on-one for the first time.

Haruka used more powerful attacks than imaginable, like World Shaking if she wanted to preserve energy and Space Sword Blaster if she was impatient and didn't care how much energy she used. Haruka was sort of reckless in how she attacked.

Haruka fought without regards to her teammates. Makoto sometimes dodged blasts of energy from Haruka more than the robots' attacks. Perhaps Haruka was testing Makoto. Perhaps she had enough confidence in Makoto. Perhaps she didn't care if Makoto perished or was knocked unconscious from her own attacks, figuring that Makoto would reincarnate.

Sailor Jupiter struck robots with lightning, punched robots into pieces. With her sword, Sailor Uranus cleaved robots from head to toe. Sailor Uranus' strikes were more aggressive than Sailor Jupiter's, a stark difference between Makoto's and Haruka's fighting styles. Makoto fought to incapacitate. Haruka fought to kill.

Hadn't the Outer Guardians gotten away from killing after trying to destroy Sailor Saturn because of a misunderstanding? The younger Guardians might have taught the Outer Guardians for a change. How were the Outer Guardians so mature? They weren't much older than the other Guardians, and Hotaru was _younger_ than them.

Despite her arguments with the Outer Guardians, Makoto admired Haruka.

Unlike Makoto, Haruka let her masculinity shine. Makoto didn't live in fear of others' opinions of her, but she was too aware. Rejection pained her more because she'd been rejected uncountable times at her old school. Being alone all day at school only to come home to an empty apartment didn't help.

Makoto had thought that being alone didn't affect her until she met Usagi, Ami, and Rei and felt the contrast between having friends and being friendless. She'd become looser, happier, joyful. She'd lost those feelings when her parents died in the plane accident, shattering her life and leaving her to fit the pieces back together.

Fearing her masculinity, Makoto had buried herself in gardening, cooking, cleaning, things that she thought a husband wanted a wife to do. Although she'd never had luck with love, she dreamed of having a husband who came home to her every night and loving children.

As a Guardian sworn to protect her princess, could she have a family? Her heart began to ache. Couldn't think about her nearly eternal future now.

The robots kept coming, and Haruka and Makoto kept fighting, sometimes resorting to fisticuffs. Haruka was just as strong, if not stronger, than Makoto. If Haruka and Makoto ever fought fist-to-fist, someone would leave on a stretcher, probably Makoto. Intentions behind fighting changed everything. Makoto would likely hold back because Haruka was her friend but, friend or foe, Haruka would launch an all-out attack.

Makoto looked around for a Duplicatotron 1000. Had to be one around.

An explosion boomed farther down the slope, Usagi's scream filled the air, and the damn robots were keeping her from saving Usagi. At least Mamoru was there. A man with something to prove was full of power and grit that could stop a rampaging elephant.

Sandy, Mrs. Puff, Mamoru, and Usagi were nowhere in sight.

"Stop worrying about what's happening down there." Haruka punched robots rapid-fire, like her fist was a Gatling gun. "Focus on what's happening up here. Our friends are stronger than you think."

"Doesn't mean that they don't need our help." From her antenna on her tiara, electricity zapped a Monsoon. A Chuck collided with the Monsoon, and they both exploded. Even though she admired Haruka, she wouldn't take everything the older Guardian said as gospel.

"You're too nice." A bronze beam burst from Haruka's sword, striking and destroying swaths of robots. "Where's that duplicating robot?"

"I'll go find it since you can take care of yourself." Makoto flew toward the direction from which the robots came, keeping near the slope's walls, slightly below its surface. The sooner she found this D1000, the better chance she and Haruka would have at finding their friends.

Finally, the clunking and huffing and puffing came from several yards away, and Makoto quickened around a bend, the D1000 standing on a jutted-out part of the slope, several Monsoons and Chucks surrounding it.

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!" An electricity-domed whirlwind grew in her hands, and she hurled the whirlwind. The wind pierced the robots and the D1000. A missile emerged from the cyclone and smashed into Jupiter as the D1000 and the robots exploded.

Jupiter barreled backward, the missile having crushed Makoto's abdomen, stealing her breath. The missile erupted in water, remnants of electricity from Jupiter Coconut Cyclone enlarging the explosion, quickening her flight. She slammed against the slope, jostling debris and Tikis from the mountain. She recoiled into the path of falling Tikis, Wooden Tikis splintering her head.

A Thunder Tiki fell onto her head.

Another explosion roared. The familiar, almost friendly, sensation of fire engulfed Sailor Jupiter, and she plummeted toward the bottom of the mountain.

Sailor Jupiter crashed, sand pluming around her, filling her ears, making the sounds of fish sliding on the slopes above, the whistling wind sound like they were happening in tubes instead of open space. Sand and bits of snow plugged her nostrils, and Makoto scrunched her face. If she sneezed, sand would burst out. The snow was melting out of her ears and nostrils so that she appeared to be crying and melting at the same time. Thank goodness no one was around.

Laughing came to her right. No fish laughed with such a delight, a laugh that came only at another's expense. A laugh that Makoto had been the victim of countless times at her old school thanks to her strength, like the time she batted a baseball too hard, breaking the school's chain-link fence.

Makoto shot into the air, tilting her head to one side and pounding her opposite ear to drain the water and sand and then doing the same to the other side.

Grinding her teeth, she flew toward the laugh. If the Dead Moon Circus was in Sand Mountain, then they must have started to search Bikini Bottom, recovered from Sailors Moon and Chibi-Moon's Moon Gorgeous Meditation. Hopefully, that laugh didn't mean that they had found whatever they sought.

Sailor Uranus flew down, joining Sailor Jupiter. "You look like hell."

Makoto almost said, "And you look like Satan himself" to be a smartass, but said, "Lots of explosions. But I've been exploded on before, so I've come to welcome the feeling of being burned alive, my skin being roasted, and smoke melting my eyes."

Sailor Uranus blinked. "How unnecessarily descriptive." She darted her eyes about. "Anyhow, I'm guessing you heard that laugh, too."

Makoto nodded.

"Sounded like one of those girls from the Dead Moon Circus. When you and the other Guardians disappeared, we started going to several of the Circus' performances. We know how they and their humanoid pets sound." She clenched her hands. "You've probably figured this out by now, but they make a game out of manipulating dreams. They could be trying to take over someone else's dreams as we speak."

Makoto's expression darkened. "That's awful. It almost happened to Sailor Mercury, but the rest of us arrived before Fisheye could take over hers." Dreams were dear, personal, fragile things that drove lives. No way would she let the Dead Moon Circus continue to wreak havoc.

"You look like you wanna murder somebody," Haruka said.

"Yeah, well…" Her passion for protecting might come off as murderous to outsiders. Being taller and stronger than most, especially women, lent itself to a desire to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

Sailor Uranus and Sailor Jupiter crested a slope. A dune was carved into the snow, and PallaPalla, lying on her stomach, peeked into the dune, laughing and pointing, rolling onto her back and laughing at the sky. Hawk's Eye stood behind her, crossing his arms, smirking. JunJun tapped her foot, muttering that waiting while others' dreams were being manipulated was one of the most boring parts of the job.

In the dune, Sandy and Mrs. Puff stood, eyes blank.

The Dead Moon Circus had gotten to them.

Makoto's vision reddened. The next thing Sailor Jupiter knew, PallaPalla was stuck in the sand headfirst. JunJun pulled her out only to be punched by Haruka and sent flying. Hawk's Eye threw a Bomb-bot, smoke filling the area and letting the Dead Moon Circus escape. _Again._ Makoto nearly said, "To hell with it," flew after the Dead Moon Circus to finish them off. But Sandy's face and eyes were harried and hollow.

Makoto rushed to Sandy, placing her hand on her shoulder.

Sandy collapsed onto the sand and screamed, her scream muffled but as heart-piercing as it would've been if her head was turned to the sky.

Crimson bled into Makoto's vision. This couldn't happen again. This wouldn't happen again.

Makoto embraced Sandy. "I'll make this right." She let Sandy down, the squirrel's eyes still blank, her screams dying down. Found herself flying in the direction that the Dead Moon Circus had gone.

Was Haruka calling her? She didn't care.

Makoto seemed to reach PallaPalla, JunJun, and Hawk's Eye quickly but not soon enough. Even if she'd reached them before they'd gotten to Sandy, she wouldn't have reached them soon enough.

She hovered above the three. "Who else did you do that to?"

PallaPalla tilted her head. "Do what to who?"

Makoto shot to PallaPalla, snatched her neck, nails digging inside, blood flowing in rivulets onto her costume, the scarlet a far cry from her outfit's blue that represented trustworthiness, safety. "You know damn well what I'm talking about."

"No, it's just, we do it to so many people, I can't remember who—"

Makoto squeezed, hastening the blood flow, red staining the sand. "Who else?" 

PallaPalla's voice grew hoarse, and she coughed blood. Good. "L-lots in J-Ja…"

She'd said enough.

Makoto's vision tunneled so that she saw only PallaPalla, the circus member's skin draining of color as Makoto tightened her grip. PallaPalla whitened. Just a little more…

Running from behind. She whipped around and, without loosening her grip on PallaPalla, swung the blue-haired girl into the charging JunJun, the trapeze artist crashing, head over heels, through the sand. Hawk's Eye swept in from above, and Makoto thrust PallaPalla into his gut. Hawk's Eye careened through the sky.

Now PallaPalla and Makoto were alone. Makoto could watch PallaPalla's eyes empty of life and then tell Sandy that her enemy was ruined, like her enemy had ruined her.

PallaPalla tried to pry off Makoto's hand. Makoto's grip was steel.

"Makoto!"

Makoto whipped her head, looking at Sandy behind her, Haruka and Mrs. Puff beside her.

Mrs. Puff's eyes were swollen and red-rimmed. "You really are murderous."

Was what Makoto doing considered murder? All she was doing was taking care of a problem.

Haruka watched, expressionless. Disappointed? She had no problem killing her enemies. Why was killing wrong when Makoto did it?

"It's okay, Makoto," Sandy said. "You don't have to do anything to her for me. Let her go."

Had she lost her mind, one of the side effects of the Dead Moon Circus' manipulation?

"I forgive her. It was just a dream. Ain't no harm in a dream."

"But she twisted your dreams."

"I'll get over it. `Sides, it ain't true, and it'll never happen in real life." The squirrel trembled. She hadn't gotten over it, likely wouldn't get over her nightmare for a long time. Feared that her nightmare would come true. She squared her expression. "Let her go. Please. We can find some other way to deal with her."

Makoto glowered at PallaPalla. Wanted to kill her with every fiber of her being. With PallaPalla free, more people could become victims.

"This is partly Sandy's fight," Haruka said. "You have to respect her wishes. You can let PallaPalla go, but we can keep her with us." Hypocrite.

PallaPalla had fallen unconscious, limp. Makoto dropped her into the sand, where she lay, unmoving.

Haruka gathered PallaPalla in her arms. Turned and walked toward the dune. Mrs. Puff walked alongside her. Sandy joined.

Makoto walked behind them, slowly at first, and then hastened into a jog to catch Haruka. Makoto had almost done what she'd condemned Haruka and Michiru for wanting to do to Sailor Saturn.

She peered up at Haruka. "Do you, do you think what I did was…okay?"

Haruka stared ahead. Didn't answer for so long that Makoto had thought that Haruka hadn't heard. Haruka was never speechless. "I almost killed a twelve-year-old girl because I thought she'd destroy the universe." She looked Makoto in the eyes. "I can't tell you what to think. Only you can be the judge, Makoto."

Makoto pursed her lips. Heaviness crushed her.

Her mind screamed that she should've finished PallaPalla, but her heart said that Sandy was right.

Makoto was, ultimately, the judge of whether what she did was right.

Her heart ached. Her head throbbed. Didn't know who'd acted in rage.

She didn't know who Makoto Kino was.


	42. The Art of Restoration

**Chapter Forty-two: The Art of Restoration**

If Usagi and Mamoru had been buried under feet of snow, death looming from suffocation, when they'd first met, even a few days ago, then she'd be all over him, relishing in his presence. Maybe they'd reincarnate so that the Silver Millennium marched onward.

Could they suffocate in sandy snow?

How did avalanches work? If only Ami or Setsuna were nearby to explain, saving Usagi and Mamoru while they were at it.

Her heart hammered against her chest. Oh, she was terrified.

Mamoru glared around the area. "We have to find which way is up." All business like he'd been while he was helping her with the robots, rescuing her from the sandball.

He wiggled the palms of his hands upon the sand and pushed. "Damn. Just like a wall of ice." His frown deepened. "I should be able to blast our way out of here."

"Wait, Mamoru."

Mamoru's eyes widened.

"That's right, I'm using your full name. You're in trouble now, buster." 

He blinked.

"J-just kidding. Um, trying to." Maybe the snow-laced sand had cooled her off a little. Maybe time had made the wound less achy. Maybe the prospect of being buried alive caused her to try to escape through humor. Makoto was rubbing off on her.

Mamoru pursed his lips. Again, with the stoicism.

Usagi squared her expression, too. "I mean, while we're down here, we should talk. No one can hear us. Which isn't a good thing, but while no one knows where we are, we should talk."

A smile touched his lips. "You're finally wiling to speak to me. I thought I'd never hear your voice directed toward me again. I was afraid we'd live the rest of our nearly eternal lives angry at each other—or you, justifiably, angry at me, and me trying to make it up to you."

"That'd be an awful way to live." She coughed lightly. With Mamoru's coughing issues, now was the wrong time to cough, but Usagi hadn't been able to suppress it. "I'm trying to be like you and put my feelings aside and at least talk to you. I'm still hurting, but I have to talk to you to hurt less."

The side of Mamoru's mouth lifted. "The silent treatment doesn't work for you, huh?"

"You know I'm not good at staying silent."

Mamoru chuckled. "Yeah, you're too talkative. In a good way," he added quickly. "I'm too quiet, and you talk a lot, so we balance each other out."

Usagi giggled. She was the only one who Mamoru let into his heart. Probably Motoki, too, but he couldn't tell Motoki about his alter ego, and when was the last time he'd spoken to Motoki? Heck, it seemed like eons since Usagi had spoken to Naru. She'd grown distant from her friends and classmates once she found out that she was Sailor Moon, about her past life. How could she tell Naru, much less start the conversation? "Hi, Naru-chan, how was your weekend? Well, on Saturday, I found out I'm reincarnated from a princess and flew to the moon to see my ruined kingdom. What's going on with you?"

She liked to think that she knew Mamoru well, but what if he was hiding other things from her?

"I guess we should get to the point." Usagi hated confrontation. Regardless, no better way to confront than to be tangled in limbs and sand and snow.

"Yeah." Mamoru kept looking her in the eye, like he had since the incident at the treedome, as though he wanted to say something.

Here was his chance.

Usagi said nothing. Waiting for him to speak, take charge through words instead of actions. While Usagi admired and appreciated that he acted quickly, sometimes words were enough.

Mamoru worked his mouth, as if trying to form the right words. "I'm sorry, Usa."

The way he said it, so softly, his eyes like a puppy desperate to gain favor with his owner after breaking expensive china… Usagi's heart defrosted.

He gazed up. "I, I didn't mean… You know that I didn't mean to hurt you. But, while my intentions behind keeping my coughing from you were good, the fact is, I kept a secret from you. You've proven that you're strong, Usa, much stronger than you think you are. That's one of the things I love about you."

Usagi found herself smiling. He wasn't buttering her up. Mamoru didn't play games.

"I meant to protect you. More and more, I'm finding that you don't need to be protected. You can handle yourself. I've had an image stuck in my head for a long time of you as that vulnerable middle schooler I met a year ago. Usa, you've grown so much since then, into a capable, strong young woman. I don't have to protect you anymore. I don't have to keep you from hearing and dealing with difficult things. Not only that, but you can and have helped me with all sorts of problems, even things I didn't recognize as problems, like my aloofness. You've never met a stranger, and I hope to be the same way someday.

"I thought I could solve the coughing issue myself before you found out, so that's another reason why I didn't tell you. Together, we can figure out what's going on and fix it." He took her hands, rubbed his fingers over the back of them. "I love you, Usa. I'm sorry for hurting you. We should be telling each other everything. So from now on, I'll reveal everything to you."

Usagi wrapped her arms around him as best she could in the small space that tightened with every passing second, beginning the treacherous road toward healing. Mamoru may have poured out his soul to her, but it would take a while to regain trust. He had to start showing that he wouldn't keep secrets from her.

"I want to tell you a theory about why I might be coughing blood, Usa, and what I've been dreaming about lately—yeah, I've been keeping my important dreams from you, too, so I wouldn't worry you, and I'm sorry—but this place is starting to cave in on us."

The air thinned. Usagi coughed once more. Was the air choking her? "Is it me, or is it getting harder to breathe?" Her voice had grown hoarse.

"It isn't just you." Mamoru scowled at the sand and snow. "We don't have much time. We have to get out of here before we suffocate. I can't break us out of here without your help." Before, he was willing to break out of the sand on his own. Now, he welcomed her help.

Mamoru rapped his fists on the sand. "It's starting to feel like concrete. If we combine our powers, we can break through. As soon as we do, I promise I'll tell you about my dreams."

Usagi's heart lifted. "Thank you, Mamo. I love you, too." He may not realize it, but he'd matured into a young man who realized that opening up to others strengthened him.

She had to be looking too happy to be stuck in an avalanche, but the sand didn't seem like a problem too big for them to conquer.

Mamoru raised the palm of his hand to the sand. Usagi aimed her Moon Kaleidoscope toward it.

With his free hand, Mamoru took Usagi's hand. Usagi warmed, and she squeezed his hand.

"On the count of three," Mamoru said. Usagi nodded. Felt good for him to be taking the lead again, a relief from Usagi leading as the Moon Princess.

"One. Two. Three."

At the same time, Mamoru and Usagi called their attacks, Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber and Moon Gorgeous Meditation respectively. As quickly as the beams broke the sand, creating a path toward sunlight, sheets of sand showered down, plugging the two inside once more.

Mamoru stopped his beam, and Usagi followed suit. "This won't work."

"Let's use our attacks as propellers, like we're rocket ships. Aim at the ground and use the beams to propel ourselves through."

Another blink. Then, a slow smile. "I get what you're saying." He aimed the palm of his hand at the ground. "Let's try it." He tightened his grip on Usagi's hand.

Usagi and Mamoru simultaneously launched their attacks. Gripping each other's hands, the couple shot out of the sand like missiles, their white auras mixing with each other, doming them in white, shrieking through and splitting the air like a white comet. Coldness enveloped Usagi, and sandy snow popped into her mouth, melting on her tongue in a puddle that she spat out. Couldn't keep her eyes open, thanks to the sand and ice pelting them.

With Mamoru at her side, she had nothing to fear.

Brightness pierced Usagi's eyes. The sand and ice stopped pelting her, and she opened her eyes. She and Mamoru had broken through the avalanche, into the sunlight. They kept shooting through the air, above the mountain. Usagi dared to look down.

Sand Mountain stretched below, a series of peaks, valleys, mounds, fish and robots that looked like ants. Bikini Bottom sprawled, the skyscrapers no larger than pencils.

A smile encompassed Usagi's face, another smile loosening Mamoru.

Bikini Bottom was beautiful.

Ahead, the sky expanded endlessly, the sun brightening the flower-like clouds. The sky, the sea's surface, shimmered.

They were near the surface.

Usagi wanted to go back, to let her mama and papa and Shingo, Naru and Umino, her loved ones back home know that she was safe.

Mamoru cried out. He'd never done that be—

Usagi's head gonged against a barrier, and she yelped, her head ringing. They spiraled down faster than they had risen, probably looking like falling angels, swaddled in each other's fading auras. Clashing against the invisible barrier had shattered their concentration. No way could she or Mamoru concentrate enough to gather their wits and fly again. Her head throbbed as quickly as her heart, and it felt as though water flooded her head.

They crashed into the sand. Mamoru scrambled, righting himself. Usagi poked her head up and rubbed her forehead.

"What, what, what was that?" Crashing into that barrier must have torn out a chunk of Usagi's brain. Could hardly think.

Mamoru looked around, eyes narrow. Always alert for enemies. Must be a side effect of being alone often.

They had landed in the middle of a sandy field teeming with robots, resembling the area in Guppy Mound. Usagi suppressed a groan. Not again.

She climbed onto her feet, and the knocking in her head intensified to a banging. Felt like thick blood muddied her brain, making Usagi want to bury herself in the sand.

Two D1000s stood at their sides, on two cliffs. They had never been able to finish at the bottom of Guppy Mound. Thanks to their stronger relationship, they'd defeat these robots.

Mamoru launched Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, eradicating a D1000. As soon as the machine had been destroyed, Mamoru stopped the beam, making sure not to cause another avalanche. The destroyed D1000 revealed a button. In front of Usagi, near the door leading to the ski lift, a gate was erect. Usagi and Mamoru could fly over the gate, but beating the robots took precedence.

Usagi began to run but slipped on the ice, wobbling and slapping a hand on the ground to keep from falling. As she staggered, she aimed her Moon Kaleidoscope at the remaining D1000 and launched Moon Gorgeous Meditation. The rainbow, shard-filled light ripped the air. A Chomp-Bot tackled her side, and she fell, sliding and rolling across the ice. The robot tore her uniform with its maw, and its rancid breath burned her sleeve to shreds. Worse, the rotting smell smacked her nose, watering her eyes and quickening the jackhammering in her head.

Usagi kneed the Chomp-Bot into her own face. Another puff of rancid breath exploded in her nose. Her eyes watered faster.

The Chomp-Bot skidded across the ice as Usagi tumbled, head over heels, from the force of the Chomp-Bot smacking her face. Mamoru landed behind her, catching her.

He smiled.

Usagi stuck out her tongue. "I'm clumsier on ice."

"My Usa…" Affection and love made his eyes twinkle. He wanted to kiss her right in the middle of these robots.

He jerked, whipped around, his back facing Usagi, and swept his white beam. Usagi tried clambering onto her feet but ended up slipping in place instead. Managed to jet out her rainbow beam, breaking Fodders, Chomp-Bots, Ham-mers. Beneath the cliff on which the last D1000 stood skidded a Tar-tar Sauce, the robot spurting out bubbling, steaming tartar sauce from its funnel, toward Mamoru. The beam crashed into the cliff below the D1000, and the platform snapped, the D1000 falling. The machine and the cliff's remnants crushed the Tar-tar Sauce.

Pushing, Usagi swiveled around and grabbed Mamoru's legs. She slammed him facedown onto the ice. The tartar sauce shrieked above, the heat threatening to crisp Usagi's and Mamoru's hair, and then plopped onto and melted holes into the ice. Parts of the sauce slid across the ice, trails of water in their wake. A Fodder wheeled away, still in the sauce's path; the sauce chased the Fodder, and the robot wasn't smart enough to wheel in a different direction. The sauce collided with the Fodder, reddening and then dissipating the robot. The sauce disintegrated against the opposing wall.

Wind whistled about. The robots were gone.

Mamoru lifted his head.

"I'm so sorry, Mamo. I, uh, I just meant to get you out of the way, like you helped me."

He cradled his forehead. "That's all right."

"Oh, no, did I make your headache worse?"

Mamoru gave a slight shake of the head. "It's okay. It would've hurt worse if that robot's sauce had scalded me." Taking her hands, he helped her onto her feet. She danced like a puppet on the ice.

"Just relax, Usa." He gripped her shoulders. "Relax."

Usagi deepened her breathing, her shoulders sinking. She regained her balance, standing still.

Mamoru launched thin white beams, pressing each of the buttons that the destroyed D1000s had revealed. Rumbling from overhead. Mamoru's and Usagi's heads whipped up, Usagi's breath growing shallow. She coughed once more. Maybe the adrenaline had made it harder to breathe.

On the cliff above, a snowball rolled off, crushing the gate, clearing the walkway.

Usagi and Mamoru stared at the gate, at the cliff, awaiting another snowball, a group of snowballs, snow cascading off the cliff, but no other snow fell.

Usagi cocked her head. "That's it?"

"You sound almost disappointed that we're not being buried under feet of snow for the second time in one day."

"Oh, no, I'm thrilled. Tired, but thrilled." Still hard to breathe, though. Maybe she'd recover her breath after a few minutes of calm. Her expression brightened. "We did it, Mamo."

"Yeah. We did." He averted his gaze.

"Are you…keeping something from me again?"

He rubbed his shoulder. "Yes. I shouldn't be, though. I was wishing that we'd never fight again, but that's unrealistic."

"The good news is, we came out stronger. So every time we fight, we'll end up a stronger couple. Nothing will be able to tear us apart, and that's not just because of fate."

"That's for sure." He cupped his chin. "I wonder if we could defy fate if we tried."

"Hmm." Usagi bit her lip. Imagined running away from Mamoru, her friends and family, never to be found again, escaping her destiny. The world would crumble because she and Mamoru weren't leading the universe together. "I don't want to try. I don't want to mess anything up." Maybe, after defeating their enemies, the peaceful life would come. Fighting and wars would cease. Better yet, the sea and the earth would be connected, allies.

Being in Bikini Bottom might not be fate. Luna hadn't mentioned anything about the underwater world, and Usagi hadn't seen anything about the underwater world when she'd been exposed to her past life. Michiru, who commanded the deep seas, had said nothing about Bikini Bottom.

Perhaps the Sailor Team was rewriting the future for the better. Creating a new one in which the undersea creatures and the humans collaborated, lived in harmony and peace, combined their talents to build a more advanced thirtieth century with cutting-edge technology, a world full of fun and laughter and love.

They'd connected the two worlds by doing what was right out of a wrong situation, out of fighting the Dead Moon Circus, who had meant their being sent to Bikini Bottom for evil, but had wound up being good in the end. Their adventure wasn't finished yet, but everything would turn out okay.

She held her drumming head. Too much thinking after smashing into an invisible barrier and fighting a small army of robots. "A-anyway, what did we run into? It felt thicker than concrete."

"It did feel like some kind of wall." Mamoru glowered at the sky, like he was expecting the perpetrator to come out and laugh at their misfortune. "I don't think that barrier was always there."

"I wonder who put it there."

"The Dead Moon Circus might have had something to do with it. They must be trying to keep us hemmed in since they know we can fly." He rubbed his chin. "If that were the case… They know that there's no opposition on the surface anymore since all of us are down here. At least one of them should've gone up there and started messing with people. But I don't think they have. There could be something they want down here, something that they need every member of their troupe to search for."

Mamoru's smarts matched Ami's and Setsuna's. People underestimated Mamoru, especially since he didn't have something Herculean about him that people could discern outwardly. Ami obviously had her genius I.Q., Makoto obviously had super strength, Rei obviously had psychic powers. Mamoru seemed plain compared to them, but his heart and will could move mountains.

Mamoru shrugged. "Who knows who put that wall up there and why? Either way, we'd have to stay down here. Now, about my dreams…"

Usagi's breath hitched, and her heart leapt in anticipation. Yet another cough.

Mamoru raised an eyebrow.

Usagi hid the seed of panic behind a smile. "It's the air up here. Keep going."

His eyebrows arched. "Please don't keep anything from me, Usa."

"I wouldn't." A lie. Couldn't worry him. She didn't want to stop him from revealing his dreams, either. "Seriously, I've never been in a mountain before. I'm not used to the air, especially in a place like Bikini Bottom. Besides, I'm not the outdoorsy type of gal, so I'm not used to nature in general."

"When I think about it, that makes sense."

She kept herself from releasing a sigh of relief. "Anyhow, your dreams."

"Right. I've been having them for a few weeks now, and they started a little while after we defeated Mistress 9, when we saw the solar eclipse. That solar eclipse also marked beginning of my coughing blood. Helios appeared to me in a dream, saying that he was sorry about not being able to protect me or Elysion. He needs help finding the Golden Crystal. He didn't say what the Golden Crystal's able to do or why he needs it, but I think he's on our side. He did protect Chibi-Usa in Downtown Bikini Bottom.

"I've been having visions of Elysion, too. It's desolate and gray, and I'm not sure why. I'm not even sure what Elysion is, exactly, but I think it's where Helios came from. I don't know its significance to us or how Helios is related to us."

If only Usagi had a super brain like Ami or Setsuna to make sense of what Mamoru had said. "I can't offer much comfort or help, Mamo, but whatever this Golden Crystal is, I'll do everything I can to help you find it. It must be important if Helios is looking for it." She snapped her fingers. "What if the Dead Moon Circus is searching for it, too, and that's why they're all down here?"

Mamoru tensed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were. Doesn't change the fact that we have to stop them." He squeezed her hand. "Thanks for always being there for me, Usa. Whether the Golden Crystal is good or bad, we have to find it before our enemies do."

True. With her friends' help, they would.

"There you guys are." Haruka? 

Haruka and Makoto, Makoto carrying Sandy, Haruka carrying a blue-haired girl, a member of the Dead Moon Circus, flew over one of the walls, landing in front of Usagi and Mamoru. Makoto's face was red, and her sailor suit was scuffled. Sandy's eyes were swollen. Had the squirrel been crying? On the other hand, Haruka looked unharmed.

Usagi beamed. "You're back. I'm so glad you made it." 

"We should be saying the same thing to you," Haruka said. "We heard the avalanche, but by the time we made it down where that big ball of snow was, there was a hole in it, and you and Mamoru weren't inside. Someone told us they saw a shooting star earlier, and we figured that had to be you, so we followed the direction that guy pointed us in, and here we are, Flounder Hill. Looks like you guys already cleared this spot of robots." A grin snaked onto her face. "And it looks like you and Mamoru made up."

Usagi's cheeks heated, but she resisted the urge to plug her head into the sand and instead grinned. Making up was a feat, nothing to be ashamed of. "Yes, we did."

"Phew." Haruka wiped her forehead. "Thank goodness. No more awkwardness."

"It looks like you guys have been through a lot, too." For one, Makoto hadn't said anything, and Makoto wasn't shy. She fought roughly, but no one should have roughed her up that much.

Sandy wasn't shy, either, didn't look like a crier.

"Our enemies came and attacked Sandy and Mrs. Puff," Makoto said.

Usagi lost her breath, coughed. From surprise. "No."

Thankfully, Mamoru didn't give her a look in front of everybody. He balled his hands. "So they've started involving the people down here." 

"We barely managed to convince Mrs. Puff to at least let us take her back to the top of Guppy Mound." Haruka rubbed the back of her ear. "That is one stubborn pufferfish. But I'd be, too, if I dreamed about humans making my husband into a lamp all over again."

A shiver rocked Usagi. "That's awful." By the way Sandy looked, the nightmare the Dead Moon Circus had inflicted upon her had been as bad or worse."

"They made me dream that my invention k-killed others," Sandy said, voice quivering. "That dream was too gosh darn real." She shut her eyes. "I can't even tell y'all about it, it's just, it hurts." Her voice cracked.

Makoto drew Sandy close. "I almost killed them."

"What they did to me was terrible, but you don't need to do that."

She dropped her eyes. "Yeah." Usagi barely heard her.

"At least we got this girl out of the whole ordeal." Haruka raised her arms. PallaPalla lay within, eyes shut, red, crescent-shaped marks and blood streaking her neck. "She can tell us what the Dead Moon Circus wants."

Usagi glanced at Mamoru. Mamoru nodded, but before Usagi could say anything, he said, "Actually, I think Usagi figured it out."

Haruka's brow creased, and Makoto raised an eyebrow. Mamoru told them about his dreams of the Golden Crystal, Elysion, Helios.

"Then we need to find this Golden Crystal first." Haruka's expression hardened at PallaPalla. "Once this girl wakes up, we can confirm that the Dead Moon Circus is searching for it."

PallaPalla looked more dead than unconscious. She wouldn't awaken for a while.

Usagi coughed. Kept coughing and couldn't stop.

 _Oh, no._

Mamoru rushed to her side, eyes wide and shaky. "No. Usa, please." Pleading with her for something uncontrollable. "I couldn't have…"

It couldn't be contagious. Could it?

She couldn't blame her persistent coughing on feelings, on the air. She tried to reassure him that her coughing couldn't be his fault, only the Dead Moon Circus', but choked on the liquid clogging her mouth. Could only bury her head in the crook of her elbow and keep coughing. Her knees buckled, and she sagged, only Mamoru keeping her up.

After an eternity, the supernatural coughs stopped wracking Usagi. She heaved hot, coppery, viscous liquid.

She lifted her head, vision blurry with tears from the coughs, from what was befalling her, from what Mamoru might have given her.

Splattered on her elbow was blood.


	43. Exposure

**Chapter Forty-three: Exposure**

Goodness. Usagi had coughed more blood than Mamoru. Looked like expired ketchup had exploded on her arm.

If Michiru were around, she'd chastise Haruka's making light of the situation. Sometimes, the situation was so dire that joking was the only way to cope.

The group hadn't been able to relax in the allegedly relaxing Sand Mountain since arriving. They'd been fighting robots most of the time, and then the Dead Moon Circus had manipulated Sandy's and Mrs. Puff's dreams. Entwining innocent people in the Guardians' kudzu plant of a life was unforgiveable.

Blood dripped from Usagi's bare arm. The Moon Princess drew her head back like she wanted to separate her head from her body. Mamoru wore a murderous expression, likely meant for himself for possibly contaminating her.

Hopefully, he wouldn't destroy PallaPalla for maybe afflicting him and Usagi with the disease. Not until they tore information from her.

Usagi faltered. Would she be able to fight?

Mamoru looked like someone had killed two of his dogs.

"It's not your fault, Mamo-chan," Usagi said at once. "It must be the Dead Moon Circus."

"Yeah," Makoto said. "Not to be the bearer of bad news, but it might happen to any of us." 

Now Mamoru looked like someone had killed three of his dogs.

Makoto bowed her head. "Sorry. Not the best thing to say right now." Thanks to her, Mamoru must be thinking that he could infect anyone.

Straightening, Usagi brightened her voice. "Anyway, let's keep going. Looks like we've cleared all the robots from this area." Usagi's uncharacteristic urgency showed her desperation to submerge herself in doing anything but seeing the blood-spattered sand, a reminder of her and Mamoru's frailty.

"We should be fine. We're together again, after all." Haruka shifted PallaPalla in her arms. "Once this girl wakes up, let's question the hell out of her, maybe beat her a little, too, for good measure."

"Y'all are too violent," Sandy said. "If she doesn't respond, then do whatcha gotta do, but don't beat her senseless for no reason."

"You're too soft."

"Is that what you think I am?"

"I said it, didn't I?" 

Makoto opened her mouth and then closed it. Opened her mouth once more and then said, "She's been through a lot, Haruka-san. You shouldn't grate on her."

Haruka shrugged. "You have a point." The Guardian of the Skies didn't pull punches, no matter what someone had endured, especially when that someone was a Guardian. The Guardians were sure to face more powerful enemies in the future, so Haruka pushed them to toughen up.

Makoto tried to stand tall, but she trembled. Normally, she'd voice her opinions more quickly.

Was she wavering because of almost killing PallaPalla?

Haruka had been down the pit that Makoto was falling into, beginning to think of herself as a killer, too, but she thought of things more objectively than the younger Guardians. When Sailor Saturn had arisen, Haruka tried to think of herself as the world's savior instead of a potential murderer of a preteen girl. Ending one life to save many was a logical decision. But, thanks to the younger Guardians, Haruka had learned that there were ways to save everyone without sacrificing one.

Mixing emotions and duty led to disaster, as Makoto was finding out.

Haruka had the decency to talk in private about delicate things. Better nip the problem in the bud before it blossomed into a weed that kept Makoto from fighting at her best, putting others in jeopardy.

Sandy seemed like had her wits about her, even when she'd asked Makoto to stop strangling PallaPalla to death. Haruka would've asked Makoto to stop, too. Sandy had asked Makoto to stop because Sandy didn't want PallaPalla to be killed. Haruka would've asked Makoto to stop because they needed information. She couldn't care less whether PallaPalla was killed.

With the almost timid Makoto, the my-four-dogs-were-shot Mamoru, the blood-coughing Usagi trying to hide her agony, and the psychologically wrecked Sandy, Haruka was the only sane, level-headed part of their group.

Michiru would get a kick out of this.

"I agree with Usagi," Haruka said. "We have to keep going."

They couldn't move on until Haruka tempered Makoto. Usagi and Mamoru were weakened from their curse that could manifest into worse afflictions. Some of them needed to be well enough to fight.

Haruka motioned for Makoto to come with her. She walked into a corner of the area, carrying an unconscious PallaPalla, not caring if PallaPalla was listening. Besides, the others were in no condition to keep watch over or defeat PallaPalla if she awakened. Makoto followed, probably not caring. Sandy, Usagi, and Mamoru watched. Didn't care whether they cared, either. The talk would benefit the team.

Leaning against the mountain's wall, Haruka crossed her arms. She was almost at a loss for word; didn't want to scare Makoto by being blunt, but she had to be blunt to get her point across. Michiru could handle her bluntness, but others couldn't. Worse, Haruka was Makoto's role model, so anything she said might render Makoto unable to attack. As it was, Makoto was barely functioning.

She could go low, pointing out that, once upon a time, Makoto had acted high and mighty, denouncing her and Michiru wanting to kill Hotaru.

Makoto stared at Haruka with puppy-dog eyes. Needed only the quivering lip to complete the about-to-cry expression. "I guess I'm not as good as I thought I was."

"No. No, you aren't."

Thankfully, Makoto didn't recoil, because Haruka wasn't finished. "We all stumble."

The corner of Makoto's mouth lifted in a small smirk. "Even you?"

"Even me. Hard to believe. After all, I'm perfect." Haruka tightened her grip on the dangling PallaPalla. "What she did was inexcusable. What you did…to be honest, it was inexcusable, too."

Makoto sunk. "Thought so." Rubbed the sides of her arms. Being uncomfortable around Haruka was understandable. So was being cold, standing atop a snow-covered mountain in only a sailor suit. No matter how superpowered one was, the cold could grip anyone.

She peered up. "Haruka-san, why didn't you save them?"

Haruka pressed her lips into a white line. Makoto was talking about the innocent people above ground, who'd been manipulated by the Dead Moon Circus several times while the Outer Guardians waited for an opportune time to attack.

Haruka scoffed. "After all this time, you're still so naïve. Sometimes, there have to be casualties for the greater good. You can't save everyone, Makoto. The faster you drill that into your innocent little brain, the better."

"You mean, the more I'll become heartless, like you."

Haruka froze. She'd never had any reason to think of herself as heartless. She was only trying to do things objectively, saving the most people possible.

Here and now wasn't the place or the time to face herself.

Even if she had time, Haruka was too afraid to confront herself, to see what she'd discover.

Haruka had pulled Makoto aside to give her a pep talk, things to think about, but Makoto had started driving the train.

The younger Guardians were wiser than they seemed. Wiser than they themselves thought.

Did Makoto know how much she'd gotten under Haruka's skin? Haruka was the more expressive of the Outer Guardians. Hopefully, her face betrayed nothing.

Haruka would leave Makoto with some nugget of wisdom. "Listen, Makoto, I will tell you this. You've taught me something. Us Outer Guardians might be damn near perfect in your eyes, but we're as broken as the rest of you. You've shown me that it's okay to be broken, that everything isn't black and white. When Michiru and I wanted to kill Hotaru…" She found herself casting her eyes downward but quickly looked back into Makoto's eyes. "That was ruthless. We thought it was right, an almost simple decision, as sickening as that sounds. One life for many. The choice was clear to Michiru and I.

"Then you and the rest of the Guardians came barging in, declaring that there had to be a better way, we just had to find it. We didn't want to do something anyone else's way. Or accept that we could be wrong." She risked puffing up Makoto's head, but she didn't care. "You know what else you taught me? That it's wise to seek the advice of others. You and the other Guardians may be younger than me, but I see you all as equals."

Makoto gaped. "Me, too?"

"You're younger than me, aren't you? C'mon, you know I don't give out compliments like candy."

She beamed. The happiest she'd been since Haruka had arrived.

Might as well keep making Makoto's terrible day. Boosting her confidence would benefit the team. Plus, making her happy was right, something that every human needed. "You taught me something else, Makoto, something that I think is one of the most important things I've learned: It's okay to be warm and compassionate toward others. To seek the best for them. You're so warm, Makoto, I hope I'm not corrupting you. I know you look up to me, but you're fine the way you are. I'd rather you become your own person than another Haruka. There are enough Harukas in the world—only me, and one is plenty."

Makoto stood on her own two feet instead of slouching. "I know, Haruka-san. I've been struggling with my masculine side, and what I did today showed that my masculinity can take over and make me too aggressive."

"Women can become too aggressive."

"Not the way I was."

"Trust me, they do. There are stories in the news of women strangling other women or overpowering men. You're not unique in that."

"Well, the point I'm trying to get to is, how do you handle your masculinity?"

Haruka rapped her fingers on her arm. "I don't 'handle' it. I embrace it. It's part of me."

Makoto's eyes lit up. "I've never thought of it that way before." She clenched and unclenched her hands. "I've always tried to cover up my masculinity with feminine hobbies, but my masculine side makes me pretty badass."

She grinned. "Your masculine side is part of what makes you strong."

"Strong…" Her eyes grew distant. "I've always wanted to be strong. And then I met you and thought that you were one of the strongest people on Earth. I want that strength, too."

"You have it."

Makoto stared at her, blank.

"Don't believe me? After all those compliments I paid you?"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"First of all, stop being shy. You and I both know that you're bold and assertive."

"Right. I'm speechless, is all. Did you take a pill this morning to make you nice…nicer?"

Haruka laughed. "Now you're saying I'm not nice? You wound me."

Makoto's face reddened. "Th-that's not what I mean."

"Don't worry about it. I needed that laugh. Besides, it's fun to laugh at yourself every once in a while. Humans are goofy." She cleared her throat. "Makoto, you make it your mission to protect other people. Most people aren't willing to go out their way to help others. They're always busy, so they're blind to others' needs. But you're attentive to others. You see them for who they are, what they need, and then help them. Being as unselfish as you takes strength that a lot of people don't have."

The blush drained from Makoto. "Thank you, Haruka-san."

"No prob. But another part of strength is learning to move on. So you have to move on from what you did to this girl. Learn from your mistake, and don't drag others down because you're feeling bad. Michiru and I had to pick up the pieces after you and the younger Guardians shattered our worldview."

"I didn't know you guys were broken."

"We didn't show it. We didn't want to slow anyone down or let our enemies gain an advantage. Point is, we've learned from you all, too, and if others are learning from you, then you have a certain strength in you. Physical strength doesn't matter much, but the strength in here does." She placed a hand over her heart. "Not to get more philosophical on you—I usually don't think this much—but I think that my heart strength makes me stronger physically. And you have a big heart, Makoto. That translates into your physical power."

"I've never thought of it that way before."

"Start thinking of it that way. That's how things are."

For the first time since Haruka had arrived in Bikini Bottom, the mountain lifted from Makoto's shoulders. "Thanks again, Haruka-san. I'll do my best to protect everyone, especially Usagi and Mamoru-san."

"Great. They don't want to admit it, but they need all the protection they can get."

As soon as Haruka and Makoto returned to their friends, a scream came from behind them. The boy who'd been building the sandman rushed to them. Eyes wild, he blubbered until, after several attempts at trying to quiet him with words, Haruka squeezed his cheeks, cutting off his nonsensical speech.

"You need to speak more slowly. What's going on?"

"My heroes, you saved us earlier. You must save us again. There are a multitude of robots who've taken over the biggest slope."

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "They're concentrating their efforts there, huh?"

"There aren't any up on this slope or Guppy Mound anymore?" Mamoru said.

"Right. They're all on the Sand Mountain slope for some reason."

"Here's a thought," Haruka said. "They caught wind of us tearing them to pieces and decided to come together, hold some sort of meeting and plan how to defeat us." The robots were smarter than they looked. Their chaos was planned, like they were trying to take over Bikini Bottom area by area.

Sandy wiped her hands on her suit. "We have our next destination. We'd better get goin' and wrassle them varmints before they destroy the mountain more." She placed her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Thanks for the information. You'd better get outta here."

Nodding, the boy rushed into the ski lift's lodge.

A shadow darkened Makoto's expression. "We should see if the other members of the Dead Moon Circus are with the robots." Her gaze seemed uncertain. After everything Haruka had told Makoto, the younger Guardian was still unsure whether to trust herself. Unbelievable.

PallaPalla startled. "T-Tiger's Eye, PallaPalla doesn't feel him anymore." She whipped her head in all directions, pupils contracting. "Tiger's Eye. Tiger's Eye!" She nearly jumped out of Haruka's arms, but Haruka tightened her grasp. PallaPalla thrashed, nearly kicking in Haruka's teeth (if only PallaPalla had; Haruka would have an excuse to smash PallaPalla's face, claiming self-defense but doing so because she despised what PallaPalla had done to Sandy and others).

Inches from PallaPalla's face, Haruka growled, "How does it feel, to suffer like how you made so many others suffer?"

PallaPalla stiffened, blinked at Haruka.

"Don't tell me that crap about not remembering."

Makoto balled her hands, veins protruding from her fists. About to pop.

Of course PallaPalla didn't remember each of the many lives she'd destroyed.

"Do you know what happened to Tiger's Eye?" Sweat flowed down PallaPalla's forehead in a river.

Haruka almost answered her truthfully but decided to give PallaPalla a taste of the pain she'd inflicted upon others. "Maybe. Maybe not."

PallaPalla's hands shot to Haruka's collar, and PallaPalla yanked Haruka close to her own face. "Tell PallaPalla. She has to know." Her unfocused eyes were filled with anger, desperation, despair, like Sandy's, like Mrs. Puff's.

Haruka scowled. "No."

PallaPalla jerked Haruka once more, her rancid breath threatening to burn her hair off. "Tell. _Now_."

"Or what?"

PallaPalla bared her teeth, like she was going to rip a chunk out of Haruka's face. Haruka did nothing to stop the coming fist because PallaPalla deserved at least that much.

Makoto's fist connected with the base of PallaPalla's chin. A _crunch_ echoed. Haruka let PallaPalla go, and the Dead Moon Circus member slammed through the sand, into the mountain's wall. Makoto stood too still, fists tight. Lashing out now was better than losing control around more of their enemies.

PallaPalla's arms and legs poked out of the sand, more sand sheeting on top of her. She twitched, sputtered, pushed out of the sand, bounding upright. Clawing at the air, she ran toward the group. Makoto stepped in front of PallaPalla, drawing back another fist, her eyes beastly.

As long as PallaPalla didn't die, Haruka didn't much care what Makoto did to her.

PallaPalla dove for Makoto, reaching, fingers hooked like she had talons instead of chewed-up fingernails. Makoto's fist crushed the side of PallaPalla's face, changing the trajectory of PallaPalla's flight. She crashed onto her side, sliding in the snow.

Makoto pursued.

She grabbed PallaPalla's wrists and pounded the Dead Moon Circus member into the snow. Drew back her leg to kick.

Reaching toward Makoto even though she was feet away, Usagi said, "Mako-chan, that's enough" as Sandy said, "Stop it. Ain't gotta do all that." 

A light turned on in Makoto's eyes. PallaPalla moaned and curled into the fetal position. Makoto had reduced their enemy from reckless boldness to a whimpering shell.

Like PallaPalla had done to Sandy, Mrs. Puff, countless others.

Sandy's brows arched. Pity? Makoto _had_ given PallaPalla one hell of a beatdown.

Haruka would've done worse.

"You didn't have to do that, Makoto," Sandy said. "I understand y'all, well, hate these people, but that wasn't necessary. "Not for my sake."

Haruka snorted. "You sure did let Makoto beat the crap out of her without saying a word. No need to act holier-than-thou when you stayed good and quiet before."

Sandy shot Haruka an unreadable look, a cross between a glare, regret, realization. The squirrel knew Haruka was right, so she said nothing.

Sandy shrugged, seemingly recovered from Haruka's no-holds-barred honesty. "Sure, a little punishment's fine, but to go to town like that…"

Haruka's expression hardened. "If you were that concerned, then you would've let Makoto pummel PallaPalla for a few seconds and then asked her to stop."

Sandy flinched. "That ain't true."

"You say that, but your actions say differently." She placed a hand on her hip. "You're not as good as you think."

Sandy shrank, wincing.

Makoto rushed to Sandy's side, gathered the squirrel in her arms. "Haruka-san, please. She just went through an awful nightmare."

"That doesn't give her an excuse to act like she's better than us. None of us are better than the other. It's sad, but we all have darkness in us. Sandy obviously gained some satisfaction from watching you beat PallaPalla."

Holding Sandy and glaring at Haruka, Makoto embodied tenderness and brutality. Sandy managed to keep her eyes open, look between Haruka and Makoto. Even though they'd spoken a short time ago, Haruka and Makoto's relationship had cracked, couldn't be mended in the short amount of time they had.

Haruka had to learn how to keep her mouth shut, especially when Michiru wasn't around to tame her tongue.

Mamoru heaved, stifling a cough. Not the time to add anything to their loaded plate about to fall off a foundation of chopsticks.

Sandy goaded herself out of Makoto's arms. "I'm gonna be honest because you have this uncanny ability to see through to folks' souls, Makoto. I did kind of like seeing you beat that gal up. I'm not proud of that." She stretched. "Anyhow, I'm not all right, but I will be. I hope you'll be, too."

Makoto gave Sandy a small smile. "I will."

"We will," Haruka said. Even Mamoru managed to smile. They'd persevered through worse.

Makoto crouched in front of PallaPalla. "Tell us everything you know about the Dead Moon Circus."

PallaPalla glowered, still curled into the fetal position.

"I'll make this easier by asking you directly. Why did you come to Earth?"

Makoto was on the right track. No way could the Dead Moon Circus be from Earth. They'd flown from the sky in a ship, for goodness' sake.

PallaPalla spat. Before the glob could land, Makoto drew back her foot.

"Go ahead, kick PallaPalla as much as you want. She'd rather die than tell you anything."

Before Makoto let her anger best her, Haruka said, "You're going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future. As long as you keep your mouth shut, we won't let you even see your sisters."

PallaPalla cringed. "PallaPalla will find a way to escape. You can't watch her all the time."

Makoto snarled. "Wanna bet?" To her credit, PallaPalla didn't shy away from Makoto.

Haruka swept the Dead Moon Circus member into her arms. "I guess we can't tell you what happened to Tiger's Eye."

Another, harder cringe from PallaPalla. "Okay." She gulped, not out of fear, but because she was about to squeal. "The Dead Moon Circus is here to steal others' dreams." She bit her lip.

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "We know that already. Give us more."

She shook. "We're looking for something. A crystal. For our queen. To release her. Because she saved PallaPalla and her sisters."

Mamoru tensed. He'd been right.

"Please, Tiger's Eye…"

Haruka spread both her arms in an, "Oh, well," gesture. "I have no idea what happened to him."

PallaPalla's face contorted. "After all PallaPalla told you, you don't know?" Her voice grew shrill. "You don't know?" She reached for Haruka's neck. Gripping PallaPalla's wrists, Haruka swung PallaPalla's arms behind her back. PallaPalla cried out.

"This ain't necessary," Sandy said.

Again, with the superior attitude. Haruka let go of PallaPalla, and the Dead Moon Circus member rubbed her wrists. Wouldn't bother broaching Sandy's hypocrisy again. The squirrel would chew on what Haruka had said at a calmer time.

Tiger's Eye must've been killed by one of her fellow Guardians, probably Michiru, one of the most ruthless among the Sailor Team. Even Sailor Saturn, the Guardian of Destruction, wasn't as merciless as Sailor Neptune. Ironically, Sailor Saturn and her civilian form, Hotaru, was one of the gentlest.

Haruka grasped PallaPalla's wrists. "We'd better get going. The sooner we reach the rest of these robots, the better."

She took to the air, Makoto, carrying Sandy, close behind. Usagi and Mamoru dragged, flying as quickly as they could. Haruka slowed so that they could keep up, partially because she was worried about them, partially because, selfishly, she wanted to prove to Makoto and her own self that she was not heartless.

They flew so far up that Haruka thought they'd never reach the slope of Sand Mountain until they crested Flounder Hill's peak and looked below.

Swathes of robots filled the base of the Sand Mountain's slopes. Ham-mers bashed fish into the ice-covered ground, the fish popping up elsewhere, a game of Whack-a-Fish. Bomb-Bots wheeled toward fish, some fish throwing the Bomb-Bots. The robots exploded against the wall. Monsoons, their glasses hanging off their heads, repeatedly jabbed the buttons on their remote controls. Multiple lightning-puffed clouds descended from the sky, ready to electrocute anyone who dared near them. An unfortunate fish was being slapped between two G-Loves. One G-Love missed, and the fish flew into the lightning, leaving a scorch mark in the snow.

Haruka glanced over her shoulder. Had Usagi and Mamoru become paler? It looked like their skin was made of paste instead of, well, skin. Teetering dangerously on running on fumes.

"Can you fight?" Makoto asked Sandy.

"O' course." Sandy lassoed the air. "Those folks may have messed with my dreams, but they didn't mess with my robot wranglin' skills. Go ahead and put me down there with the rest o' them. I'll make good use of all of them."

With the army of robots around, Makoto couldn't protect Sandy and fight simultaneously. She set the squirrel at the fringe of the fray. The antenna rod lengthened on Makoto's tiara, and lightning crackled at its tip. Outstretching her arms, lightning transferred from her tiara to her hands. She shaped the lightning into a ball and tossed it back and forth, the ball enlarging. Hurled the ball of lightning toward a Monsoon, electrocuting the robot. The lightning spread to two other Monsoons.

Meanwhile, before a Ham-mer could crush another fish, Sandy lassoed its ham and, using its own ham, bashed the robot into the ice, only its head and its ham protruding. Several fish surrounded the Ham-mer, some bearing sticks, others flexing their hands. They beat the robot over the head. One popped its head of ham off the stick and slammed the ham onto its head, burying the robot under the ice. Electricity crackled from the water in the ice, around the robots.

Time for much-needed fun. Who said fighting always had to be serious?

Haruka raised her empty hand, and her beam sword materialized. "Space Sword Blaster!" Usually, she sent a beam of energy toward her enemies, but she might as well aim at the ground and let the shockwave do its duty.

A group of robots clustered near the wall, and some scrambled to get away. A grin split Haruka's face. Too late.

Slicing through a Fodder, Haruka smashed her sword into the ice, releasing the pulse of energy. A quake roared, upending the robots into the air. Pulling her sword out, Haruka slashed several robots, their cries mixing with the fish's cheers.

A Ham-mer cupped its hands around its cheeks, gaped, and screamed like a human girl. Haruka wasn't sure what to think anymore.

A snowball engulfed the Ham-mer's mouth, cutting off its scream. The snowball melted, and water dribbled off its chin. From behind, a girl gripped a snowball.

Cracks from Haruka's sword fissured the ice. They were high enough above ground so that, even if the ground halved, there wouldn't be serious side effects. Some daredevils might accidentally fall below instead of landing on the ice, but the ice wasn't much safer than the ground below.

Haruka slashed, her sword screaming through the formerly screaming Ham-mer. The girl who had pelted the snowball whooped and tap-danced on the ice, slipping and sliding so much that her dance ended up looking like a clumsy cha-cha. She fell on her back, sliding across the ice, knocking a Fodder into a wall. Whatever worked.

Usagi and Mamoru hovered above the fray. Usagi pointed her weapon, blanched, shaky, sweaty. Mamoru aimed his hands toward the robots, blanched, shaky, sweaty. Not good.

The world rumbled. Cracks cut the middle of the ice. The ground ruptured, the two halves tilting in opposite directions. A roar from the water. Hollering fish rushed away, several falling and sliding away instead, reaching toward snowy ground, even though a gate blocked the way. Haruka hadn't seen buttons to lower the gate, but she needed to find a way to.

Because a fifty-foot-tall yeti was emerging from the ice, water pouring off it like a waterfall.

Hairlike snow engulfed the yeti, hanging from its arms, legs, everywhere, rippling as it pushed each snowy foot on one half of the ice. The yeti opened its maw of a mouth, a Ham-mer manning the yeti, like robots had manned the monster truck in the downtown area.

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" A white beam whistled past Haruka, pierced the yeti, but the yeti didn't stumble. The beam did leave a hole, revealing metal.

The yeti was a robot.

Haruka grit her teeth. Glitter filled PallaPalla's eyes. Was the troupe member enjoying the fight or thinking of ways to manipulate the yeti?

The yeti aimed its fist at Mamoru. Icicles grew from its fist and shot off in succession. Mamoru wobbled through the air, barely dodging the missiles. They exploded on the mountain's wall, and the world quaked once more, snow falling from the top of the mountain.

Mamoru scowled. Had to be hoping that another avalanche wasn't coming.

Makoto whipped in front of the flooding snow. A gust of wind surrounded her, quickened into a cyclone. "Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!" She hurled the cyclone toward the snow. The wind pushed the snow up the mountain's wall, over its edge, making it seem as though the snow climbed the mountain.

"Moon Gorgeous…" Usagi pointed her Moon Kaleidoscope at the yeti, panting. So white and sweaty that she looked like she'd visited hell for an afternoon.

Usagi fired a blast of a rainbow, shard-filled, shaky beam. The yeti batted the blast away, and the beam struck Sandy before she could react. Sandy yelped, the rainbow light slicing her. She barreled backward, cracks forming where she bounced. Gasping, Usagi swooped toward Sandy. Makoto flew toward Usagi, saying, "No, Usagi, I can catch her."

Both of them were too unselfish.

Haruka flew after them. So was she.

The yeti stomped forward, breaking through part of the ice from one half of the split ground, several fish plunging into the water below, screaming.

Aiming for the yeti's mouth, Tuxedo Mask released another beam. The Ham-mer inside, instead of turning the yeti, ducked behind its head of ham like an idiot, and the beam passed inside, the yeti jerking as it gulped the beam. The yeti belched and shook the mountain, several pats of snow falling from the wall.

The yeti sucked in air and then let out a longer, louder belch, threatening to sever the world. The beam, enlarged, shot out the yeti's mouth, tinged with ice shards.

Oh. Maybe the Ham-mer wasn't an idiot.

JunJun skidded down the mountain's wall. Where the hell had she come from?

PallaPalla clapped her hands. "JunJun, you're here. Yay." Haruka punched behind PallaPalla's ear not only for the hell of it, but also because she was annoying the crap out of Haruka.

Haruka changed course. Makoto, thankfully, caught Sandy, the force making the two careen backward, Makoto's eyes watering from Usagi's attack. Haruka charged toward JunJun, Hawk's Eye watching from atop the mountain's wall. Jumping from the wall, JunJun grabbed Mamoru in midair, stilling him long enough so that the beam slammed into both. JunJun let go and fell so that Mamoru took the brunt of the hit. The beam screeched over the top of JunJun's head, and strands of green hair drifted down.

"World Shaking!" PallaPalla snatched Haruka's wrist and pointed her hand to the sky, where the bronze-colored beam shot toward the sun. Scowling, Haruka kneed PallaPalla's abdomen. The light faded from PallaPalla's eyes, and her head flopped down. No more distractions.

JunJun crashed into the ice, deepening the existing cracks and breaking the left half of the ground into pillar-like pieces. The pillars creaked and leaned. Could fall on the base of the mountain anytime. Fish and robots scrambled atop the ice, trying to find refuge. Suddenly, the robots and the fish didn't seem different. They wanted to survive.

JunJun fell through the ice, plummeting below. Haruka would be elated, but other fish had fallen there, too.

What had happened to Sandy could not happen to the rest of the fish.

Above, Usagi hovered alone, panting, pale. She could fall to pieces at any moment. She needed Haruka's help, too.

Mamoru was hurtling through the air, skin covered in gashes. He needed her help, too.

Makoto and Sandy crashed into the wall. Cascading snow poured onto them. They needed her help, too.

Hawk's Eye watched above. He needed that damn smile wiped from his face.

So many people to save, only one Haruka.

She wasn't a great strategist like Setsuna or Ami. Her raw power didn't seem helpful now.

For all of Haruka's talents and powers, would she not be able to help her friends?

No, Haruka would not give up.

Haruka swooped behind Mamoru, caught him by looping her free arm around his shoulder, and the force made her fly backward, too. Despite her hand being inches from Mamoru's face, Haruka aimed her palm at the yeti. "World Shaking!" A beam of light came forth from her hand at the same time as an electric dragon.

That electric dragon could only be from Makoto.

Even though she was in deep, Makoto managed to help Haruka.

The bronze-colored beam and the dragon brightened the sky, eclipsing the sun yet lighting the world. The yeti opened its mouth. A shaky rainbow light snaked past the dragon and the bronze-colored beam and struck the yeti's shoulder. The yeti flinched long enough for the beam to pierce its heart and the dragon to crush its head with its fangs. The Ham-mer inside of the yeti hollered, and electricity spread throughout the yeti, toward the water, where the fish were. They'd be electrocuted alongside the robots. The robots, Haruka didn't care about, but she did care about involving more innocent people into the Guardians' affairs.

Sandy's lasso wrangled a group of fish and pulled them out of the water. Thank goodness that Sandy had recovered enough to rescue some of the fish. Usagi, too, managing to launch Moon Gorgeous Meditation.

Hawk's Eye swept toward the water, perhaps forgetting to grow his feathers to fly or transform into a hawk, desperation to save JunJun clouding his mind.

Crying out, the yeti drew back its hand. Its arm blurred, and red lightning flashed in Haruka's vision. She flew through air, smashed through a wall, and then flew through air once more. Usagi's screaming accompanied her. Makoto's and Sandy's hollers joined. Mamoru let out a howl. Another primal noise perforated through the rest—Haruka's.

Haruka forced open her eyes in time to see the yeti's explosion boom. Chunks and remnants of the robots flew out, crushing smaller robots. Fish spiraled out of the explosion. Thankfully, the fish were made out of cartoon armor, so they never seemed to be seriously injured from things that seriously injured humans.

The Sailor Team began plummeting toward the mountain's base. The yeti had swatted them off the mountain.

Haruka couldn't muster up the energy to fly toward the fish. Neither could the blood-heaving Usagi and Mamoru. After summoning the dragon, perhaps Makoto couldn't, either. They'd likely have to return later and see the damages, save anyone who had gotten stuck in the snow or encased in ice.

She'd worry later. For now, Haruka closed her eyes and let herself fly.

The wind cushioned her flight, tousling her hair. If Mamoru and PallaPalla weren't in her arms, she would've spread her arms so that she could feel like an eagle. Not the best circumstance to fly like a bird, but Haruka might as well squeeze some joy out of the hellish day she'd had.

They fell past the ski lodge and the winding road that they had ridden up, toward Bikini Bottom. Fish below hollered, scurried away. A wind rushed below the Guardians, propelling them up, making them hover yards above the ground, fish below gaping, oohing and aahing.

Makoto spread her free arm. She had caused the wind that kept them from colliding with the sand.

She gasped. "I, I have to…"

Usagi tried to smile but grimaced instead. Was even her face inflamed with pain? "Go ahead."

Makoto let the wind fade, and the group landed gingerly on the ground, Usagi and Mamoru wobbling upon landing.

They were safe. So was Sand Mountain.

Haruka picked herself up, dusted herself off. PallaPalla was near, unconscious. Perhaps JunJun and Hawk's Eye had been eradicated, too. Then again, PallaPalla hadn't jolted up like she did when Tiger's Eye had been killed. Maybe the Dead Moon Circus wielded cartoon resiliency too.

Makoto lay on her back, eyes half-lidded, spread-eagled like she was frozen in the middle of making a snow angel. Resting.

Haruka extended her hand. Makoto's eyes widened momentarily.

"Surprised I'd grace you with my presence?"

Makoto not quite chuckled and then grasped Haruka's hand. The older Guardian pulled Makoto upright. For good measure, Haruka brushed the snow and robot bits off Makoto.

Usagi staggered beside Mamoru, who lay on his back, too. She knelt beside him, stroking his hair. Thinking of only his well-being, not her own. Mamoru strained to smile, more for her sake than his.

Wanting to give the couple as much privacy as possible in an open desert, Haruka looked to Sand Mountain. Smoke billowed from its peak, but all was quiet there. The team had brought tranquility to the mountain once more.

So much violence was necessary to bring peace. Twisted irony.

Haruka clapped Makoto's shoulder, and the Guardian of Thunder jerked in surprise. "You did great up there. I couldn't have stopped that monster without you."

Makoto opened her mouth, but Haruka raised a finger. " _And_ you tapped into your masculinity. See, being masculine isn't so bad."

Makoto smiled. "I guess."

"After everything we went through, are you trying to annoy me?"

She pursed her lips at the mountain. "A long time ago, I would've been embarrassed at my strength, powers that I thought a man should have, not a young woman who wants to be a bride and housewife and own a flower shop someday. But if I had been passive instead of passionate, afraid of and suppressing my powers instead of unleashing them, then I'd be useless. I wouldn't have used Supreme Thunder Dragon." She smiled wryly. "My masculinity is pretty damn cool."

Haruka whistled. "I'll say. A freakin' dragon with an awesome name to boot? Go ahead, gal."

Makoto's laugh was like rain refreshing infertile, famished soil. "Thanks for showing me that I don't need to be afraid of letting others see my power or afraid of my power myself. I never was, but I used to be hesitant about it sometimes. Especially after doing things like what I did to PallaPalla. But my masculine side is part of what makes me, me."

"Damn straight."

Sandy stepped beside them. "I get the feelin' that mountain'll be closed longer than a jackrabbit's mouth bitin' down on a carrot."

Haruka's expression blanked. "That's…a really weird simile."

"You humans don't get a lot of things."

"Or you squirrels are just plain weird."

Before Sandy could respond, Makoto said, "How're you feeling?" Wisely trying to keep them from wasting energy on squabbles.

"Fine. Better than I was. I'll get over it faster than a jackal chasin' after a deer."

"That's good to hear?"

Maybe the sudden use of nigh-impossible to understand similes indicated that Sandy had, indeed, overcome her nightmare. Or Sandy was trying to keep them from worrying about her. Likely the latter.

Behind them, Usagi gazed at the mountain, and Mamoru propped himself up, letting himself lean on Usagi for a change.

Despite the chaos reigning in Bikini Bottom; their enemy, PallaPalla, unconscious behind them; and JunJun and Hawk's Eye surviving, all was still. The sun dipped below the horizon and bathed in red the mountain, the billowing smoke, the ground. The team relaxed in a moment of serenity, rarer than finding a diamond among rocks.

The calm before the storm.


	44. A Day at the Park

**Chapter Forty-four: A Day at the Park**

Squidward settled into his bubble bath, letting out a breath he'd been holding since starting his day in the Mermalair. The past two days had been tougher than being crammed in the treehouse with SpongeBob and Patrick in Kelp Forest. He started yesterday by being driven out of his home—the robots had tired of destroying his home, leaving it near shambles, but not touching his bathtub—only to be stung by jellyfish once he reached the Fields. Nature and Squidward did not get along, and SpongeBob and Patrick worsened Squidward's forays into the wild, so Squidward tried to stay inside. Going outside for work, he could handle. He was able to remain unscathed. With the blasted robots about, even his home wasn't safe.

Hopefully, he could steal a few hours of respite. His bath heated and loosened joints. Thoughts of the robots, SpongeBob, Patrick, and those humans whistled out of his head. The world consisted of Squidward and his bath alone.

Hollering from outside. Robots must be electrocuting someone. He slid deeper into his bath. Should've gotten his earplugs.

Rumbling from outside. The self-portraits in Squidward's bathroom shook like pendulums.

"Barnacles." Snatching a towel hanging on the rim of the rub, Squidward stepped out of the tub and then tied the towel around his waist. He couldn't ignore the earthquake.

He walked to the window. Outside, no robots wheeled about. The people in Bikini Bottom weren't so stupid that they ran and screamed for no reason.

Squidward's pupils contracted. His worst nightmare had come true.

A robot at least sixty feet tall rose from the depths of Rock Bottom, grabbing the cliff and pulling itself upright. The robot stretched, yawning, holding an empty metal ice cream cone. It licked its lips, grinning, its teeth filed into points.

That thin, floppy forehead, those black shorts, that giant stomach, its pinkness…

Squidward staggered. _No, no, no._

That robot was stomping toward his tiki. The robots must've installed something on that robot to make it know who Squidward was. This robot wouldn't be only annoying. It would be deadly, could kill him while it tried to play with him.

Not bothering to put on clothes, he scurried, fell on his knees, scrambled upright, and sprinted down the stairs. He had to hide somewhere. The robot could destroy his tiki while trying to find him. Windows dotted Squidward's tiki. The robot looked like it was lumbering outside, but it took several-foot-long strides. It'd reach his tiki faster than he could escape.

"Merciful Neptune, save me." Why bother? The egomaniac was probably busy flexing his muscles in the mirror.

He hunkered under his couch. Maybe this robot would be just as much as an idiot as the non-robot version and think that Squidward wasn't home if the octopus remained quiet.

The quaking grew more vigorous. The robot peered into a window in SpongeBob's pineapple, said something like, "SpongeBob?" and then lifted the pineapple, shaking it. Couches, televisions, beds, SpongeBob's foghorn that woke Squidward at four o'clock every morning, fell. Gary didn't fall out. An excellent time for the snail to be out paying the electric bill or however he spent his time during the day.

The robot's eyes reddened. Grabbed the pineapple between both hands and squeezed. Juice leaked out. With a roar, it squeezed harder, and the pineapple exploded in a burst of juice, remnants of furniture, electricity from its lights.

The world dimmed once more. Even though he was close to fainting, Squidward had to run.

He rushed out from under the couch and sprinted toward the door. The robot was stomping toward his tiki. The door had been broken down. The robot glanced down, right at Squidward.

Squidward slid to a stop. "Uh, hi."

The robot grinned, let out something that resembled a laugh. It reached toward Squidward. The octopus shrieked.

* * *

As they flew back to Bikini Bottom, Michiru carrying Patrick on a wave, they passed over holes in the road, on Rock Bottom's living sand. The place was silent, seemingly abandoned. Mrs. Puff was gone. Hopefully, she hadn't been affected by whatever had happened.

The group asked a fish in Rock Bottom. He blubbered, gesturing wildly, and then fell on his back, eyes blank.

Minako crouched beside the fish, feeling his forehead, his pulse. "Is this thing _that_ scary? And how come didn't see it?"

"It must've emerged somewhere around here." Michiru lowered the wave. She wasn't tiring, but she didn't want to waste energy. "We didn't see any signs of it in the Trench."

Poking his head out of Patrick's pocket, Plankton wiped a tear from his eye. "My robots, so brilliant, just like their creator."

Minako rolled her eyes. She turned toward the dirt. "Maybe the soil would know." Scowled. "I sound ridiculous."

"Anything goes in Bikini Bottom," Rei said. "You sound sensible."

"We've had our differences, the dirt and I, but it might still be willing to answer me." She cleared her throat. "Excuse me, pffith, Mr. Dirt? Uh, Mr. Soil, pffith? However you want to be called, pffith, can you answer a question for me?"

The dirt grumbled, stirred, pushed up from the ground. "Pffith, what do you want—piffith—again—piffith—with you dirty hands?"

Minako twitched. "We're here—pffith—to help you—pffith—you fu—I mean, Mr. Dirt, piffith."

Thank goodness she had a modicum of self-control.

"Who made—pffith—all these holes—pffith?"

The dirt shrunk. "Augh, it was—piffith—terrible. It came outta nowhere—piffith. Just stepped on everything—pffith. Crushed my friends—pffith."

"What did it—pffith—look like?"

"Metal. Pink—pffith. Giant—piffith. Huge—pffith—stomach." He grew a finger, pointed at Patrick. "L-like him—pffith. You, you…" The dirt screamed, blowing raspberries, and slid into the distance, raising two arms that it had grown.

Minako straightened. The group looked everywhere but at Patrick. Michiru stared after the dirt. No one wanted to bring up the obvious.

Patrick patted his hands on the wave, eyes bright. He didn't realize the obvious. Maybe for the better.

"Let's go back," Michiru said. Nothing to do but to return. They could discuss with the rest of their friends.

Michiru guided the wave so far up that, hopefully, others couldn't see Patrick, lest they become afraid, some attacking the starfish out of fear.

As they flew up the cliff, toward Bikini Bottom, Michiru glanced at her fellow Guardians. Both Sailors Venus and Mars panted, faces flushed from exhaustion of fighting the robots, the lasers, VesVes. Sailor Mars shouldered the added burden of fighting Tiger's Eye in her nightmare.

They couldn't handle another robot. Not now. Not by themselves.

At least VesVes was out of the picture, plunging into Rock Bottom's darkness. Michiru felt a faint tug; VesVes lingered about, but she was far from the Guardians and the sea creatures.

Sunlight sparked in the distance, grew, warming Michiru's face. She landed on the sand, Minako and Rei landing on either side of her.

Releasing a breath, Minako started forward, ever the leader. "I can't believe we've been down here for only a little more than a day. Have we slept at all?"

"I've been so uncomfortable everywhere," Rei said, "that it feels impossible to sleep."

Minako lifted her hands over her head, lacing her hands and cracking them, arcing her back. "I'm kind of hoping that no one else is at Shady Shoals when we get there. I really wanna sleep for a little while." She rubbed her eyes, yawning, not trying to politely hide her yawn. Either she was really tired or really rude. "Usually, I'm all for staying awake to have fun, but this, this is something else."

She had a point. Michiru had been in Bikini Bottom for only a few hours, but it felt as though she'd been down here for several days.

The group walked on in silence. On top of the wave, Patrick grinned at the holes in the ground. Bikini Bottom was as desolate as Rock Bottom had been. The robot had scared everyone into hiding.

They reached the rest home. Thankfully, no robots were around. Maybe they had followed the giant robot wherever it had gone. Its tracks led away from Bikini Bottom, into the countryside. With the robot away from others, perhaps the group could rest for a few minutes.

Michiru lowered the wave. Couldn't keep it up forever. "Time to get off."

Patrick pouted but rolled off the wave, landing on his feet. If others saw him, would they attack, thinking that he was associated with the robots?

"Patrick, why don't you go play in there?" Rei pointed to a bush.

"With you?"

"No, by yourself." Coughed. "I mean, I'm exhausted. I'd rather get a few minutes rest."

"Okay." He skipped inside the bush.

Plankton called, "Well-played."

Michiru nodded. "That should keep him out of others' sights for a while."

Placing her back upon the rest home's wall, Minako slid down, sitting, releasing a gargantuan yawn. "Yeah. I don't know about you guys, but I can't handle one more thing until sle..." She closed her eyes, let her head hang down. She rose and fell, snoring softly.

Michiru's eyes softened. Despite being Guardians, all of them were growing teenagers. Adults talked about the energy that teenagers and children had, but they had their breaking points.

On the other hand, Rei blinked rapidly, fighting to stay awake in front of her mentor. Her brow was creased in concentration.

"Trying to sense where our enemies are?" Michiru said.

Rei started, blinked her red-rimmed eyes more rapidly than before. "Uh, yes, I am." Her eyes sharpened. "I can feel them faintly, but I can't tell where exactly." Sighed. "My powers have been known to be wrong sometimes."

"Hm." Michiru stepped beside Rei as Patrick poked his finger out the bush to draw in the dirt, humming. Was he drawing pizza? "I can't feel them, either. My powers aren't nearly as strong as yours, though."

Rei smiled, glanced at the ground. Too modest to agree. A good trait for a princess to have.

Maybe the younger Guardians needed mentorship, not coddling. Long before meeting the Outer Guardians, they had taken care of themselves.

Michiru cupped her hands behind her back. "In a way, I'm glad we were all transported down here. We've been forced to _work_ together, much different than only being together."

Rei's smile broadened. Talking was making her more comfortable. "That's true. I never thought I'd fight alongside only you, Michiru-san." More softly, she said, "It's been an honor."

"Same to you."

Her cheeks pinked, but she managed to keep looking Michiru in the eyes.

"I'm also glad we have times like this, where we can stand and talk without distractions, with no one around," Michiru said. "Or, in this case, listening." Behind them, Minako was curled up, head tucked into her chest. Patrick's hums grew a bit louder. He found drawing in the dirt more interesting than the two Guardians' conversation. Michiru didn't care what Plankton thought, or if he could hear them. "Because now I can talk to you candidly."

Rei's breath hitched, so small and quickly that one normally wouldn't hear it, the bit of comfort she'd gained draining. "Y-you mean, you haven't been talking to me candidly already?"

"Fair to think that. I did call you needy. But you're self-sufficient. Besides, needing your friends isn't bad. Not to make excuses, but I think that my powers aren't the only things being amplified down here. I think my moods and feelings are starting to become more extreme, too."

"Bull…" Minako mumbled, sounding half-asleep. Kept snoring. Was Rei and Michiru's conversation leaking into her dreams, or was she awake? If she were awake, Minako would give the two privacy. Minako may act like an immature, annoying little girl sometimes, but not so much that she'd intrude on Rei and Michiru.

"I'm going to be open," Michiru said. "Remember my outburst in Rock Bottom, toward both you and Minako? I think that was more than my own annoyance. I usually don't snap like that."

Rei fixed her expression into a neutral one.

"Then again, maybe it's my imagination, and being down here has shown me that I'm not as mature as I thought. You watch me closely, Rei, and I know that you admire me. You've been trying to hide how observant you are of me, but it's hard not to notice."

Rei bit her lip. "I'm sorry for being so rude to you, staring at you openly. I think…I really like you, Michiru, and I want to be like you. You already know that, but…"

Michiru squared her expression. "I'm not perfect, Rei."

Rei blushed more deeply. "You seem perfect. I mean, you have everything together." She peered up at Michiru, a rare display of shyness. "You're beautiful, you're elegant, you're graceful, you're a great violinist. You're always calm and never—um, hardly ever—lose your temper. Actually, I think your powers may be affecting your mood because I've never seen you lash out. Even though you're calm, you show so much passion for being a Guardian."

"You want to be like me, don't you?"

Rei nodded, tapped her fingers, glanced at her fingers and then folded them.

"You're beautiful the way you are, Rei. It's fine to have role models, but there's nothing wrong with you and nothing about you that needs to be changed. Hold your head up high."

Rei looked at Michiru squarely instead of trying to hide behind nothing.

"I don't want you to be like me. Frankly, no one does. Everyone loves you for who you are, not for being Michiru 2.0. There are things I admire in you, too. I love your passion, and I wish I showed passion more often, like you do. The only time I ever show a lot of passion is with Haruka and when children fall asleep during my music lessons."

A smile, almost a grin, broke through Rei's sad countenance.

"That's another thing I wish I had: a beautiful smile like you."

Rei's smile widened. Finally realizing that, as Rei Hino, as Sailor Mars, she had her own strengths that she brought to the Sailor Team. No one was an island, and their weaknesses were balanced by others' strengths.

"Anyhow, I'm sorry to take away what little time for rest we have away from you." She gestured toward Minako, hair curtained around her face. "If you're tired, go ahead and rest. Thanks to my powers, I'm hardly tired, so I can keep watch."

"Thank you, Michiru-san. You don't have to apologize for helping me. I… You're great. Truly."

"You are, too, Don't ever forget that or let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I wo…" Rei covered her mouth just before yawning.

"You'd better get some rest."

Rei nodded. As soon as she sat beside Minako, not caring that sitting in dirt was inelegant and dirty, the rest home's door opened, and Rei started. Out came Setsuna, Ami, SpongeBob, Chibi-Usa, and Hotaru, fresh from the Mermalair. They looked as ragged as Michiru's team. Ami had bags under her eyes.

SpongeBob skipped ahead of the group. He and Patrick were full of energy, although SpongeBob had mentioned that the unemployed Patrick slept as least twenty hours a day. Maybe being a Bikini Bottom native meant that he wasn't as susceptible to fatigue as the humans.

"Wonderful, you made it back." SpongeBob jumped, feet fluttering like a butterfly's wings. "And you all look ravishing."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Are you being sarcastic?"

Chibi-Usa rubbed her eyes. "SpongeBob's never sarcastic."

"True."

Minako rubbed her eyes, let out a yawn more gargantuan than the first one. "Aw, man, what's with the noise?" She smacked her mouth. Michiru scowled. The blonde was growing more irritating by the minute. "Mama, are you trying to wake me up with the T.V.? I may love T.V., but that strategy won't work this time." Crossing her arms, she curled more into herself, and snored softly.

"Should we leave her alone?" Ami said.

"All of us could use the sleep," Setsuna said. "Minako has the right idea."

Rei stood, brushing the dirt off her legs and skirt. "I can't sleep with so much…talking around me." She let herself smile. "I'm glad that you all made it safely."

Hotaru giggled. "I'm glad you kept your sanity."

Rei flinched. "Well…" Between Patrick's antics and her nightmare, she'd nearly lost it a few times.

Snapping his head up from his dirt portrait of himself eating pizza, Patrick rocketed out of the bush, to SpongeBob. He grabbed SpongeBob's hands, and the two danced in a circle. Michiru almost told him to get back in the bush, but no fish had passed the rest home since they'd arrived.

"SpongeBob, you're back," Patrick said. "From the Mermalair. The place _I_ wanted to go. But you won the game fair and square. The least you could do is tell me about it."

SpongeBob wiped a tear from his eye. "It was more beautiful than the sun shining on a greasy krabby patty." His voice cracked. "It looks exactly the same as it did when we went down there together, but, but, its beauty is indescribable. Do you see these tears even the thought of the Mermalair brings to my eyes?"

Patrick's eyes welled up. "Oh, my goodness, I do, and your testimony is bringing tears to my own eyes." The two collapsed onto each other's shoulders and sobbed.

Hotaru cocked her head. "Do they cry for everything?"

"Not usually," Ami said.

"Maybe they're sleepy," Chibi-Usa said.

"Maybe it's how they always are," Rei said.

Minako swatted at her ear. " _All right,_ I'm up, Mama. Geez." Yawning, she clambered onto her feet, reaching toward the nonexistent television. "The T.V. is so loud. Turn it off." Michiru would've thought that hell would've frozen over before Minako spoke those words.

Minako parted open her cloudy, uncomprehending eyes. "Where am I?" Blinked. "Oh. Yes. Hi, everyone." Not self-conscious about acting foolish. "Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, Setsuna, Ami, SpongeBob, you're back already." Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Some of you making it known very loudly. But I'd rather wake up to see good news instead of bad."

"The Mermalair was a lot of fun." SpongeBob fisted his hips, Patrick prancing about him. "We even got to fight the bombastic, diabolical Prawn."

Patrick froze in mid-dance. "The Prawn that does heinous deeds like shrinking people's clothes in the laundry? _That_ Prawn?"

Michiru pursed her lips. If only the Guardians' enemies messed with people's laundry instead of seeking the universe's destruction.

SpongeBob nodded, expression grave. "Yes, Patrick. _That_ Prawn."

"However did you defeat him, with his dastardly laundry-destroying techniques?"

He paced back and forth. "It was a long and arduous battle. Prawn broke out of his prison, fortunately while we were there, so he didn't have the chance to go to the laundry room this time. He used his funnel-horn thing to blast out supersonic waves."

Patrick blanched. "You mean, the supersonic waves he used to make Mermaid Man dance a flawless tango in episode seventy-four?"

"That very one. This time, not only did it make us dance all kinds of dances, it almost destroyed our hearing."

Patrick shook his fist. "The fiend."

SpongeBob jumped backward, feet fluttering once more, landing beside Ami, who blushed. "Thankfully, Ami here transformed into Super Sailor Mercury, defeating Prawn with her new weapon, the Mercury Harp."

Minako scrambled two inches in front of Ami. "You did? I didn't even notice."

Rei glared at Minako. "And you had the nerve to tease Patrick about not noticing your own upgrade."

She waved her hand dismissively. "That was different."

"How?" Michiru said.

Ignoring the question, Minako said, "That's great, Ami-chan." She grasped Ami's hands. "Now there's one more of us with her Super form."

Ami did look the same, save for her longer bow at the back of her skirt, but she was emitting a more powerful aura. She stood taller. Maybe being with her own mentor, Setsuna, had instilled confidence.

"Congratulations, Ami," Michiru said.

"Thank you." Ami's energy fed off Michiru's. A faint, blue glow surrounded her. With Michiru and Ami near each other, and both women with their Super form…

Couldn't be arrogant. Anything could happen.

"You have a new power now, too?" Rei had sunk. Perhaps wondering why she hadn't gotten her new powers when she'd persevered through a manipulation of her dreams while Minako and Ami had endured similar trials. Rei couldn't compare herself to them, though. Perhaps her Super form couldn't be awakened in Bikini Bottom.

"That's right." Ami plucked a few strings on an invisible harp. "I have an attack called, 'Mercury Aqua Rhapsody.'"

"It was the attack that put Prawn back behind bars," SpongeBob said. "Or, in this case, a case of ice."

"I couldn't have defeated him without your help."

"Ami did the brunt of the work."

She bowed her head. "SpongeBob, please, it wasn't just me."

"She's being modest," Setsuna said. Ami's blush spread to her neck. "Her attack was the catalyst to defeating Prawn."

"That'll be a big help going forward." Minako clapped her hands. "I can't wait to fight alongside each other. Then we can combine our attacks."

In their unity, they'd compensate for one another's weaknesses. Michiru didn't voice her thoughts. Didn't want to make Rei feel more inadequate than she had to already.

"The others must be on their way." Setsuna craned her neck to gaze up the looming, misty mountain in the distance. "Sand Mountain looks big, but it can't be that large."

"I sure do hope nothing happened to them up there," Minako muttered. "At least, nothing like what happened to Sandy, Mako-chan, and I in Goo Lagoon."

On its peak, an explosion rocked the world, Chibi-Usa staggering, catching herself on Setsuna's sleeve. A roar pierced Michiru's ears, and silhouettes fell from the mountain.

"What's happening?" Chibi-Usa started running toward the mountain. Setsuna caught her by her shoulders, drew her back. "Mama, Papa, no!" She kept trying to run, dragging her feet in the dirt, and jerk her hands out of Setsuna's unwavering grasp.

"I'll go over there and see what's happening." Michiru took to the air, Chibi-Usa's sobs almost making her hug the young-minded Guardian. Thankfully, Sailor Pluto was there to fill the maternal gap.

The mountain appeared to be farther than it appeared, taking several minutes to arrive where the figures had fallen. The figures wound up being Usagi, Mamoru, Makoto, Haruka, and Sandy, all standing and well, with an unconscious PallaPalla in Haruka's arms. Mamoru was leaning on Usagi, signifying that they had strengthened their relationship.

Michiru landed. Haruka looked first, her eyes lighting in that way that Michiru loved, the way that was reserved for only Michiru.

Haruka took Michiru in. "Look what the cat dragged in. How are ya, babe?" She winked. Michiru loved it when Haruka winked.

Michiru waved her hand as though swatting a fly. Couldn't let Haruka get too big-headed. "I'm great. Everyone else is waiting at Shady Shoals', but we saw the explosion and figured someone ought to see what was happening. Everyone over there is pretty tired."

Makoto turned. "Understandable."

Usagi and Mamoru turned, too.

Mamoru was pale.

Usagi was paler.

A sinking feeling niggled its way into Michiru's heart. Managing to keep her voice level, she said, "Usagi, Mamoru-san, are you two…okay? Actually, is everybody okay?" She glanced at the unconscious PallaPalla.

The looks that Makoto, Usagi, and Mamoru made did not bode well.

"We'll explain when we get back to the rest home." More quietly, she said, "So we don't have to explain again."

Makoto nodded too quickly. Something very bad had happened. While Usagi and Mamoru had healed their relationship, more problems had popped up.

No rest for the weary.

The group returned to Shady Shoals. Once again, the Sailor Team was together. If Chibi-Usa did noticed her mother's and father's ragged appearances, she blamed their sweatiness and panting on fighting robots nonstop for over twenty-four hours. Or she was in denial.

Setsuna released Chibi-Usa, and she rushed to her parents, outstretching her arms to embrace them.

Usagi shoved her away, the weak princess not only almost knocking herself back, but nearly felling Chibi-Usa.

More tears filled Chibi-Usa's eyes, her relief at seeing her parents replaced with pain. "Mama, Papa, why?"

Usagi coughed. Hacked. Couldn't stop. Heaved.

Just like Mamoru.

Patrick raised a fist. "Need me to punch your back again?"

Rei faced him. "That won't help." She gaped at Usagi, face falling, as did Minako's. Chibi-Usa broke into a fresh round of tears.

Usagi drew back her head and, sure enough, blood was splattered on her sleeve.

Everyone stared at Usagi, silent, like the world had stopped.

If she hadn't coughed in front of everyone, would Usagi have said anything about Mamoru's disease spreading to her?

Hopefully, no one would ask the minefield of a question.

"Did, did this just start happening to you?" Chibi-Usa's voice was below a whisper.

"Yes. It did." Usagi stepped back. "I'm sorry, Chibi-Usa, but you shouldn't come near us. I didn't mean to shove you so hard, but we have to make sure that you don't catch this disease."

Chibi-Usa didn't try wiping the tears from her face.

"It started happening on Sand Mountain." Mamoru shrunk, as though he didn't want to be seen. "After she'd been near me for a while." He slid his hands into his pockets. "It makes sense that she'd catch my disease after spending time near me. None of you have been as close to me as Usagi's been. The rest of you had better stay away from me, too."

"And me," Usagi said softly.

Chibi-Usa didn't move. Took a small step toward her parents.

Usagi raised her hand. "Chibi-Usa, please."

Chibi-Usa shut her eyes, choked on tears. "Why do these things keep happening to us?" Her voice had broken, threatened to grow into a wail. "We're not doing anything wrong."

"Small Lady…" Setsuna said.

"All we want to do is live in peace. That's all we have been doing. But there are so many enemies coming against us for no reason. Why can't we live together, without fighting all the time?"

Setsuna crouched in front of Chibi-Usa, stroked away the tears. "Small Lady, I've watched many things happen over the centuries. Unfortunately, no matter how much time passes, humans don't change. History repeats itself. I've found that the number one reason why people do bad things, why wars begin, is because of greed. They're not satisfied with what they have and want more. Even so, greed can never be satisfied, no matter how many things they get. So they keep trying to get more and more, regardless of others' feelings and who they hurt in the process. I wouldn't be surprised if the Dead Moon Circus was here only to gain the Moon Kingdom."

Chibi-Usa sniffled. "But we could share with them."

"They want it all for themselves. Not to help others with what they gain, but for their own selfish enjoyment."

"And they're hurting us and other innocent people to do it."

Setsuna's eyes softened. "Unfortunately."

Chibi-Usa glared at the ground, balling her hands. "Is this what people are really like? Always stepping on people trying to get more even though getting more is meaningless?"

The silence grew more absolute than before. SpongeBob and Patrick were quiet.

"This conversation's gotten too deep for me," Plankton whispered.

"I also saw a lot of good during my centuries guarding the Space-Time Door." Setsuna ran her hands through Chibi-Usa's hair. "I've seen people try to save strangers from natural disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis. People set aside their differences and work together to raise money for struggling patients with terminal diagnoses. People care for the needy the way they'd care for their own family. Small Lady, even with their flaws and greed, at their core, humans are good and kind-hearted. Never lose faith in people, like I made the mistake of doing when I was first appointed to guard the Door and had watched human behavior, their tyranny over several decades. It's a hard pit to dig yourself out of, and you isolate yourself when you do. We aren't meant to be alone. No matter how people treat you, no matter what they do, always believe the best of them and treat them with compassion."

Chibi-Usa's tears slowed. She nodded.

Sandy, Makoto, Mamoru, and Haruka explained the events on Sand Mountain. They had become separated while sliding down one of the slopes, fought robots and PallaPalla, JunJun, and Hawk's Eye. PallaPalla had manipulated Sandy's dream of bringing together land creatures and sea creatures into a nightmare of Sandy's invention killing instead of saving. Although Sandy didn't detail her nightmare, her expression grew as dark as the sky before a storm, like she was about to unleash a storm herself.

Minako tried to say brightly, "Well, Sandy, no matter where we take you, everyone loves getting their hands on you. You're popular with the robots and the Dead Moon Circus." She sounded so serious that no one responded. All Minako's comment brought to mind was that the Guardians should stay away from Sandy so the squirrel wouldn't be attacked anymore.

With her lasso, Sandy lashed the sand, whipping up dust. "I'm tougher than y'all think I am. I'm from Texas, I know y'all can't tell Texas from a hole in the wall, but we Texans are real tough, riding bulls, fightin' them fist-to-hoof. So don't y'all worry your heads `bout me. I'll be fine. I _am_ fine."

Haruka leaned onto her right foot. "You're not just saying that, right? Or just trying to convince yourself that you're okay?"

Sandy squared her expression at Haruka. "O' course not."

By the way the two stared at each other, Haruka must've gone too far in Sand Mountain. Michiru had told Haruka to rein in her bluntness many times.

"Sometimes, things have a deeper effect on us than we realize at the beginning, when they first happen." Hotaru's rare voice felled a reverent silence over the group. "We often don't realize how deeply they cut until later, maybe when we're alone, maybe when we're in a crowd, maybe because we're in shock when it first happens. But don't deny your feelings, Sandy. I've been down that road. Worse, I've traveled that road alone, with no friends or family to help me along or travel with me." She smiled at Chibi-Usa, the dam behind her friend's eyes having shut for the time being. "Now I have people who are helping me in so many ways. So if you ever need to lean on us, feel free to. Don't suppress your feelings like I did."

"Thanks," Sandy said. "All o' y'all are so sweet, y'know that?"

Plankton covered his antennae. "All this sweet is sickening."

Disregarding Plankton's comment, the group kept retelling what had happened on the mountain, that they had captured PallaPalla, fought a yeti that had swatted them down but not before making it explode, and ended up down here.

Haruka's eyebrows arched. "Hopefully, everything's all right up there."

"Don't worry," SpongeBob said. "They have an emergency crew that can fix anything within twenty-four hours, guaranteed or your money back."

Ami's expression blanked. "Whose money?"

"The taxpayers, of course."

Sandy kicked at the sand. "Shucks, I sure wish things worked that way up in Texas. Us taxpayers would be gettin' money back all the time. Bet those taxes wouldn't be higher than prairie grass durin' harvest, neither."

A scream came from their right.

SpongeBob gasped. "Squidward?" He pointed toward the distance, where rusted machines, small factories pumping out smoke, reddening the sky, were erect. "It sounds like he's in the industrial park."

Patrick jumped up and down. "The park? I wanna play, I wanna play."

"I don't think we'll get to play today, Patrick. Not in a horrifying place like the industrial park." His voice shook. Fear?

He deflated. "Aww. I really wanna play."

"Squidward?" Haruka said. "You mean that grouchy octopus?"

"That's the one," SpongeBob said. "He's actually really squishy."

"That's enough yappin'," Sandy said. "If Squidward really is in trouble, we'd better go see what's happenin'."

Minako frowned at the unconscious PallaPalla in Haruka's arms. "We might as well bring her with us. I'd rather her be with all of us than with only a few. We can easily overpower her and the rest of the Circus if they find us. Besides, I'm tired of always separating from you all."

The rest of the team agreed. Perhaps Minako wasn't that incompetent.

With SpongeBob's guidance, the group flew toward Bikini Bottom's industrial park, Michiru carrying SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy on a wave. Michiru offered to carry Usagi and Mamoru, but they refused.

"You don't have to act strong all the time," Haruka said. "We're your sworn protectors; we'll always worry about you. If you need to rest, then rest."

The couple had then let themselves ride on the wave. As they neared the park, the air grew stale, stuffy. An acidic, smoky smell filled Michiru's nostrils. She wrinkled her nose.

"The air's getting to you, huh?" Haruka's mocking laugh turned into a cough. Not the gut-destroying coughs that afflicted Usagi and Mamoru.

The couple had whitened, both stiff with trying to hold in their breaths. Their affliction might be worsened by the atmosphere they were entering.

"Maybe you two should go back," Michiru said. "The industrial park doesn't seem like it'll be friendly to anyone's lungs."

"I'll be okay," Mamoru said. "But, Usa—"

"I'll be okay, too," Usagi said, voice hoarse. "Don't worry about us."

"It's hard not to," Makoto said.

Usagi smiled sheepishly. "Are we that obvious?"

"I wouldn't call it obvious," Ami said. "It's, well, it's worrying." Putting it mildly.

"We can keep going," Usagi said, stubborn to the end. "I promise you, we'll be okay. Please don't worry about us," she repeated, as if the more times she said it, the more her friends wouldn't worry.

From some feet away, Chibi-Usa watched her parents. Hadn't been able to hug them since reuniting with them. "Mama, Papa, I don't want you two to get hurt when you don't have to."

"We'll protect you, Chibi-Usa," Mamoru said. "We're stronger than you think we are."

Chibi-Usa's eyes glistened. Unconvinced.

She was realizing that her parents weren't invincible. A frightening realization to reach.

Regardless, she said nothing, and the team kept flying. Sandy stood, riding the wave like a skateboard. Might as well squeeze some fun out of their situation.

The sky's red hue deepened into a crimson that blossomed across the sky, covering the flower-like clouds. The air became hazy, thicker and heavier than a mist, nearly crushing.

Hotaru panted, growing pale herself.

Chibi-Usa flew close to her friend. "Are you okay? Is it the air?"

Hotaru nodded. "I've always been frail, but I've survived through many things. So…" She smiled wryly. "I'll be okay." A refrain that might not be the best to say.

Chibi-Usa bit her lips at her parents. "Just like them, huh?"

Hotaru bowed her head. "Maybe."

Clanking and the crunching of gravel reverberated, the sound like someone crunching popcorn in his hands and then opening his hand, raining the remains into buckets. Trucks drove the gravel out of the park, perhaps to build new roads.

"Our taxpayin' dollars at work," Sandy said.

Chibi-Usa shuddered. "I'd never want to play in a park like this."

"Being crushed by concrete while at the park." Hotaru tapped her chin. "A real possibility."

The park was crisscrossed with roads, trucks carrying gravel, broken cranes, green sludge driving to and fro, dumping their contents into different areas for the undersea world's sustenance. The sludge bubbled in ponds, steam rising.

"I'm kind of afraid to ask," Ami said, "but what's the sludge for?"

"For…industrial things, of course," SpongeBob said. "It _is_ an industrial park." He squeaked. "A terrifying industrial park."

Haruka's brow creased, while Michiru managed to keep focusing ahead. Whatever had happened to him must've been traumatizing.

"In other words, he don't know a thing." Sandy's frown deepened at the sludge. "And neither do I. They build stuff here, but that's all I know." She elbowed the sweating sponge. "SpongeBob and I had a lot o' fun here right before I went hibernatin'. We skateboarded, bungee-jumped, and did all sorts o' stunts. I'm bleedin' with excitement."

SpongeBob shook. "Filled with excitement."

"Point is, SpongeBob and I survived. I'm sure we will, too."

"Barely survived." SpongeBob's voice had heightened.

"I've never researched industrial parks," Setsuna said. "I have heard that they're incredibly hazardous to your health." She glanced at the struggling Usagi and Mamoru, both wavering in the air, struggling to keep afloat. "Probably not the best thing to say or the best place to be right now."

Usagi's laugh sounded like a wet cough. "Nonsense. We have superpowers."

"Our powers may be great," Haruka said, "but they don't protect you from everything."

They reached an area that resembled an arena, a giant sink with a drain in the middle in the middle of six platforms, two of which were circular and were erect in the corners, two other square-shaped platforms still, and the final two conveyor belts. Above the bathtub hung a funnel, a chain beside it. Whatever poured from that funnel could not be good.

Sandy leaped off the wave, landing on her feet on a motionless platform, Squidward running upon it, heart beating out of his chest. He skidded to a stop as SpongeBob and Patrick jumped off the wave and landed before the octopus. Mamoru guided Usagi into the air. Michiru retracted her wave.

Squidward clutched his chest. "Boy, am I glad to see you."

Makoto placed a hand on her hip. "Never thought I'd hear those words from you. Something really bad must be happening around here. But we haven't seen any robots."

"Oh, trust me, they're here." Squidward placed a hand on his heart, took a breath. "In fact, I was just running from one that, that…" A shudder rocked him. "It's one of my worst nightmares come true, right up there with my clarinet coming alive and swallowing me whole."

"Whoa, Squidward," Sandy said. "Didn't think you had an imagination like that with your plain, square self."

"Yes, yes," Squidward said, too afraid to care that Sandy had insulted him. "Anyhow, this robot's been 'playing' with me since it brought me here. It's as bad as how SpongeBob and Patrick hound me all the time. Which makes sense."

"What do you—" Ami said.

"Hound, like a dog?" SpongeBob said. "That's good."

Squidward shook his head rapidly. "It's awful. Its idea of playing is much deadlier than you barnacleheads' ideas ever could be."

Minako raised a hand. "Back up. First of all, how did you get here? Second of all, what is this robot?"

He stomped his feet. "You barnaclehead, I told you, I'm this robot's prisoner. What made you think I'd come to a filthy place like this out of my own free will?" He let out a breath, Minako glaring but letting his frustration go. Under the circumstances, his anger was justified. "It all started when this robot had come into the residential area of Bikini Bottom briefly and tried to find SpongeBob." His eyebrows arched at SpongeBob. Did he care for the sponge more than he let on? "It… I'm sorry, SpongeBob, but it destroyed your home. Gary wasn't inside."

"Eh, no problem. I'll plant a seed and grow a new house."

Ami's expression blanked once more. "G-grow a new…" If only houses worked like that on land.

Squidward held his head. "Right after I had gotten back from Sand Mountain after trying to relax from the trauma and annoyances I endured in the Mermalair, like those cowboy robots sicing their robot dogs on me and darn near biting my butt off. I mean, I don't wear any pants as it is, so you can only imagine my pain. I won't be able to face another dog for a long time, just like how I'll have a hard time facing a jellyfish." His eyes grew distant. "And in Sand Mountain, those robots attacked me. It's like I'm a magnet for whatever trouble comes to Bikini Bottom." He spread his arms. "And now a robot who's as obsessed with me as SpongeBob and Patrick. Before you two got here, it was spinning me around, trying to play a twisted version of hide and seek, trying to make me jump inside the toxic waste and find it and then spitting green goo at me when I wouldn't come. It's trying to get me to find it now. Thankfully, it loves food more than me, so its ice cream is distracting it. But with its short attention span, who knows how long that ice cream'll keep it busy?"

"What exactly is this robot, Squidward?" Michiru said, keeping the impatience out of her voice.

"It's—"

Out of the boiling sludge behind the platform on which Squidward and the Sailor Team stood arose a mountainous Patrick-like robot, steaming goo cascading off its glinting metal body. It gripped an ice cream cone topped with green goo.

On its back was taped a "Kick Me" sign. Either the sign was someone's joke, or a weakness was under the sign, and someone had tried to cover the weakness in the worst way possible. The sign could also be a trick to lure and harm enemies.

Patrick's eyes brightened. "Hey, that robot looks like me. How cool is that?"

"Not cool." Minako unhooked and pulled her Love Whip taut. "Not cool at all."

"How'd the robots manage to build a Patrick-like robot?" Ami said, Robo-Patrick stretching and burping. Booming, supersonic waves pulsed from its mouth, nearly bowling Michiru over, Chibi-Usa gripping Setsuna's arm. "When the Sandy robot was built, Sandy was stashed inside the robot and hooked up from the inside."

Setsuna rubbed her chin, watching Robo-Patrick licking its ice cream and then belching. At least the real Patrick had a bit of manners. "Maybe their technology is growing more sophisticated, and they're now able to create robots based off of only seeing fish and people alone."

"Patrick," Rei said, "did the robots do anything to you when you fell down that chasm in Rock Bottom?"

"Hmm." Patrick eyed the sky. "I was walkin' through with Tiger's Eye and then a crane came through the wall and knocked me on my back and then a pretty red light lit me up."

"Sounds like it analyzed you." Setsuna gestured toward Robo-Patrick catching a falling drip of goo with its tongue. "Hence the Patrick robot being built."

Robo-Patrick looked over its shoulder and bared its teeth that were filed down to points. It pounded its chest, roaring.

Chibi-Usa shrank. "It sounds like Patrick."

"That robot's acting just like Patrick, too," SpongeBob said. "So if it's acting just like Patrick, then it must have weaknesses that are just like Patrick's too." His brow furrowed. "Weaknesses, weaknesses…" He turned toward Patrick. "Patrick, what _are_ your weaknesses?"

"I can name a few," Rei muttered.

"Uh…" Patrick fidgeted. "I dunno."

Rei sunk. "How helpful."

"Did you expect him to have a whit of self-awareness?" Squidward said. "He's barely aware enough to get dressed in the morning. And even then, he gets only halfway dressed." He was one to talk.

Robo-Patrick leaped and then landed in the middle of the arena, near the drain. Pounded its chest once more. Ready to fight when the Sailor Team hadn't thought of a plan of attack.

Michiru raised her hand to summon a wave. "I'll go first." Her voice reverberated, taking on a godlike quality. Chibi-Usa gaped, forgetting a princess' manners.

Ami stepped beside Michiru, her Mercury Harp materializing in her hand. "I'll fight with you, Michiru-san."

Rei stepped back. There was no longer an opportunity to fight alongside her idol. Ami and Michiru fighting alongside each other made more sense than Rei and Michiru collaborating. Besides the weakened Usagi and Mamoru, Rei, with her weakened powers, should be one of the last people to fight.

On the tip of his finger, SpongeBob spun a bubble bowling ball. "I will, too."

Patrick's bottom lip quivered. "Even against me?"

"Well, it _is_ a robot version of you."

"But it's me. You'd fight me?"

Saving SpongeBob from answering, Robo-Patrick licked its sludge cone and spat out a glob of sludge. The group jumped to the sides. The glob splattered on and melted part of the platform, dripped into the sludge below.

"Ooh!"

The group turned toward the voice. Behind the fence encircling the arena stood a fish wearing a bowtie and suit, Johnny Elaine. A microphone had descended from a crane, hovering near Johnny's mouth.

Minako looked the fish up and down. "How did he get all the way over here?"

"It made sense that he was in the Poseidome," Rei said, "but what's he doing here?"

"And it's too dangerous here," Mamoru said.

"Especially just to point out the obvious."

"Be nice, everyone," Ami said. "He could be here for a good reason."

Squidward clasped his hands. "To record our heroic adventures? I'll be famous."

Haruka hefted PallaPalla, straightening the circus member in her arms. "Might as well look on the bright side."

"Looks like SpongeBob and his friends are in for a rough ride," the announcer said. "Especially if they're too busy insulting me instead of fighting this giant robot."

Filled with power, nothing or no one could distract Michiru. She motioned toward herself, summoning an ocean wave. Time to test her full power.

"Everyone, stay back." Michiru's hair flowed upward more quickly, and her eyes lightened into turquoise.

Scrambling from behind them, Squidward telling everyone to keep him away from Michiru. Flattering.

Michiru summoned her mirror, and the ocean, the waves, the energy of the sea surged in response, ready to obey. The power that Michiru would have living inside of her if she sucked in the energy instead of used it…

Couldn't be selfish. Had to focus on Robo-Patrick.

"A moment's hesitation could be deadly for either our heroes or the robot," Johnny said. "It's hard to tell which."

Not only was the fish's commentary wasn't adding anything, like the commentary on Haruka's beloved car races.

Michiru summoned the wave. It towered over the group, several times the size of her regular wave, even larger than the waves she had summoned in Rock Bottom. Instead of feeling like power was being sucked out of her, she felt like energy was flowing inside.

This feeling that was close to a high, a power that she could get drunk off of, that she could use to rule, that she could use to protect, that she could use to instill fear, that she could use to instill a sense of security, she didn't want to let it go. Once they left Bikini Bottom, the power would disappear.

Trying to ignore the selfishness that threatened to derail their fight, Michiru threw the wave toward the robot. Robo-Patrick squared itself, hunching over and spreading its arms like an American football player, metal teeth gritted. It glanced at the sludge surrounding the arena. Jumped backward, into the pool of sludge as the wave approached it. It crouched, dunking its hands under the sludge and then threw goo like a child, building a wave that rivaled Michiru's in size.

No one would outmatch her.

Pulsing more energy, the wave grew larger than the robot's, enough to destroy not only Robo-Patrick's inferior wave but also Robo-Patrick itself.

Her wave engulfed the robot's wave. Michiru's grin broadened. She hadn't needed her fellow Guardians' help to defeat this robot.

She could save Bikini Bottom on her own.

No, she couldn't get ahead of herself. She may have destroyed Robo-Patrick, but—

Michiru's wave began flying backward. Her own wave combined with the green sludge roared into her, slamming her into SpongeBob and Ami, an, "Oof!" coming from SpongeBob. Because Michiru had rejected their help, not only had she been unable to destroy Robo-Patrick and its wave, but she'd also hurt two of her friends and counting.

Screaming from behind, scrambling on the metal platform, heels _click-click-clacking_ on the metal in an attempt to get away before being caught in the fray. No point in her teammates trying to catch them; they'd only end up hurt, too.

"The girl with seaweed hair tried to harness the power of the ocean," Johnny said, "but ended up hurt instead, with her own attack being turned against her. That's gotta sting the dignity and the body."

It did. Her pride and, more importantly, her friends had been hurt, slicing her to the bone.

She'd always thought of herself as willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good. As soon as she'd tasted power, she'd become selfish, thinking that she could defeat the robot on her own.

Defeating one enemy for her exhausted teammates was a noble thing to do. Michiru hadn't tried to defeat the robot alone to help her friends but to see how much power she wielded. From the outside, Michiru looked selfless, but her motives were impure.

Michiru had no right to criticize Minako. Sailor Venus acted out of love, out of a desire to protect.

She owed Minako an apology.

A wind gusted, colliding with Michiru's, Ami's and SpongeBob's backs. The wind stopped the three, making them hover in place, but it felt like concrete walls were crushing Michiru from both sides.

"Wow!" Johnny said. "The girl with hair that's as brown as a hamburger patty—what _are_ those patties made of?—is summoning some kind of wind? Storm? Who knows?"

An obvious, descriptive narrator. Even better.

SpongeBob cried out. "Ah, the humanity, it burns. I feel like I'm the jelly in a seanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"Do you taste good?" Patrick, of course. Someone's comment about food wouldn't be complete without Patrick commenting on it, too.

Someone gripped Michiru's ankles. Sailor Neptune parted her eyes. Below, Haruka pulled Michiru down by the legs. The heavily breathing Mamoru did the same for Ami. Rei had joined them, perhaps wanting to free her mentor, but being left to help SpongeBob.

Michiru could only see the wall of blue and green before her; the thick, concrete-like gust of wind behind her; and her friends below, tugging at their teammates' ankles to free them from being crushed into a unique sandwich that Robo-Patrick would have no problem eating. Lights flashed through the wave—her fellow Guardians attacking Robo-Patrick.

Michiru was tugged free from the sandwich, falling atop Haruka.

A grin snaked onto Haruka's face. "Nice position, don't you think?"

"Would you rather me be on top more often?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Do you want me to be involved, too?" came Mamoru's muffled voice from below Haruka. Under Mamoru, Ami groaned.

Michiru and Haruka rolled off Mamoru. He staggered onto his feet.

"Did we hurt you?" Michiru said.

Mamoru brushed dust and debris off his pants, frowning at green sludge splotched onto his tuxedo. "Not any more than I've been hurt already."

Above, the gust of wind crushed SpongeBob between itself and Robo-Patrick's wave.

"I feel like mayonnaise," SpongeBob shouted.

"You transformed from jelly to mayonnaise?" Patrick said from behind the group. "Are you an instrument, too?"

"Every time he opens his mouth. I feel like I lose I.Q. points." Rei popped SpongeBob out, catching him in her arms. The wave and the gust of wind clashed, a boom reverberating. Robo-Patrick and Sailor Jupiter roared.

"Amazing," Johnny said. "Here, we have a fight to the brink, for love, happiness, and freedom in the industrial park. All their friends have been freed from becoming a not-so-tasty sandwich. Now what will our heroes do?"

Sailor Neptune lessened her energy so that her wave wasn't as powerful, only for the green to grow more dominant in the blue-green mixture. While Sailor Neptune was weakening her wave, Robo-Patrick was pulsing more sludge into it.

Michiru stepped to the side, away from the roaring powers. Sailors Venus, Chibi-Moon, and Moon fought against Robo-Patrick, the robot swatting at them, brow creased as it tried to concentrate on fighting Sailor Jupiter's storm gale.

Opening its mouth, it looked at Chibi-Usa, sucked in air, and blew out ice, encasing Chibi-Usa in a block of ice, her expression frozen in a glare and a gawk. She plummeted. With its free hand, Robo-Patrick caught her.

"Chibi-Usa!" Usagi and Mamoru cried at the same time. Mamoru took to the air, moving as though a curse wasn't fatiguing him.

Robo-Patrick licked its sludge and spat out a glob. The sludge slammed into Mamoru's chest and sizzled, hurling Mamoru backward.

"Damn you!" Makoto's gust quickened but didn't gain ground against the robot's wave.

"Our heroes are fighting valiantly," the announcer said. "Even though they're outnumbering this robot, it's giving them a run for their money."

Maybe the beginning of the end had been marked by Michiru trying to defeat the robot alone.

Hopefully, they'd emerge from the battle with their lives.

* * *

Beside her mentor, Rei stood, watching Mamoru barrel backward, Sandy standing behind the gale, Hotaru standing beside her, at a shaking Squidward's side, an unconscious PallaPalla laying beside her. Plankton cowered behind her leg. Makoto was putting her all into the storm she'd summoned, but the robot's wave wasn't weakening.

Rei had to save her friends because they'd saved her countless times. Even Patrick. He had a protective instinct, a loyalty toward his friends. He had been strong enough to save her from Tiger's Eye. It was time for her to be strong enough for her friends.

But she wasn't.

Her flames weren't powerful enough. Why hadn't she gotten her upgrade in Rock Bottom?

Thank goodness this fight didn't lay wholly with Rei. Her friends weren't damaging Robo-Patrick much. Even Michiru hadn't been able to put much of a dent in it.

Beside her, Michiru looked…dejected. Or was Rei imagining things?

Mamoru hurtled past Rei. Haruka caught him by the arms. Usagi, Setsuna, and Hotaru flew toward the ice-encased Chibi-Usa clutched in Robo-Patrick's hand.

Robo-Patrick bared its fang-like teeth.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rei saw PallaPalla stir, sit upright. Sandy glared at the Dead Moon Circus member, paws so tight around her lasso that veins protruded.

PallaPalla shook her head rapidly. "What is going on?"

Sandy snarled. She hadn't forgiven PallaPalla. "Stay down, varmint."

Robo-Patrick roared, and Makoto's gust crashed backward, into Makoto. The Guardian tumbled, head over heels, her gale ceasing, sludge that had been whipped up splashing back down, disintegrating parts of the platforms. Yelping, PallaPalla bounded away from the splashing sludge. Sandy stayed close to PallaPalla, watching the Dead Moon Circus member more than the sludge.

The robot jumped, tugged at the rope hanging from the arena's ceiling. A siren sounded.

"Gah, no," Minako said, arms twitching toward her ears, Love Whip clenched in one of them as she'd repeatedly launched ineffective lashes and beams against Robo-Patrick. "Sirens are _never_ good down here."

More green sludge cascaded from the funnel hanging from the ceiling, filling the floor. The ice-encased Chibi-Usa dropped into it. The ice thawed, leaving Chibi-Usa in the steaming sludge. Screaming, she jumped out of the boiling sludge. Rei's hairs stood on end. The Guardian of Flames would hear that scream and see the sludge-covered Chibi-Usa in her nightmares.

Usagi, Setsuna, and Hotaru neared her. Chibi-Usa raised a hand. "Don't come near me. It'll get you too." Tears disappeared into the sludge engulfing her face.

Robo-Patrick pounded its chest.

"And the robot celebrates its win over the formerly adorable but now scary-looking little girl," Johnny said. "An impressive victory."

Rei growled. Maybe she should set Johnny on fire to shut him up.

"Don't you have something better to do?" Makoto barked, summoning another gale.

"What, and miss this valuable news coverage?"

"He has a point." Haruka placed Mamoru on the metal platform, behind Makoto. "Nothing this entertaining is probably happening anywhere else in this goshforsaken place."

Robo-Patrick crouched, hurling a wave of sludge against Sailor Jupiter's gale. Sailor Jupiter cringed. Sailor Uranus flew beside her.

"World Shaking!" A beam of bronze light combined with the gale, driving the wave backward. Robo-Patrick growled, throwing more and more sludge onto its wave to enlarge it.

Patrick stared, slack-jawed, the sludge and the park's lights reflected in his dark eyes.

SpongeBob tugged at Patrick's arm. "C'mon, Patrick. What're your weaknesses? If you were a giant robot, how'd you defeat you?"

Drool leaked from his mouth. "Uhhh…" He kept saying, "Uh," like he didn't know any other words. From the starfish's pocket, Plankton glanced from Patrick to the robot to Patrick.

"Want PallaPalla to get him to answer? PallaPalla can show him his dreams and nightmares so he can find his own weaknesses."

"Don't you dare move." Makoto's voice chilled Rei. Rei couldn't recall a time when she'd seen Makoto this upset.

Sailor Venus kept buzzing around Robo-Patrick, launching her attacks ineffectively, Robo-Patrick swatting at her, all the while fighting against Makoto and Haruka's golden gale.

Rei slapped Patrick, twisting his neck sideways. "This is not the time for you to be stupid."

Patrick blinked several times. "Huh?"

"Patrick, we need your help," SpongeBob said. "Think as hard as you can. How'd you defeat yourself if you were a robot?" He pointed to Robo-Patrick, straining against Makoto and Haruka, swatting at Sailor Venus with its ice cream cone, Usagi, Setsuna, and Hotaru helping Chibi-Usa to the platform, where Usagi healed her daughter's burn.

"Patrick loves food," Rei said. "If we could find some food that'd distract Robo-Patrick…"

Ami's expression brightened. "Or we could take away his ice cream cone."

Sandy lassoed the air. "I can take care o' that."

"Oh, I get what ya mean," Patrick said. "You should've just said you wanted to know what I like and hate in the first place. I'd hate to get hit in the head with a giant coconut. Unless my son or daughter did it. Then I'd know that they're spending their time wisely."

Rei groaned. "Should I have expected anything more?"

Sandy lassoed the metal cone. Robo-Patrick's eyes bulged, and its wave faltered, letting Sailors Uranus and Jupiter's combined attack advance. Her lasso fastened around the metal cone and drew it back. Robo-Patrick tightened its grip on the cone.

"We have a tug-of-war, folks," Johnny said, Sandy trying to wrench the cone out of Robo-Patrick's hand, the robot trying to keep its grip on its cone. "All for a glop of sludge on metal. Have our heroes lost their minds, or are they executing some sort of master plan?"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Sailor Venus drew back her Love Whip and launched a golden beam that smashed the robot starfish's side. Robo-Patrick staggered, and its grip loosened from the cone enough that it let go. Sandy pulled back the cone. Robo-Patrick released its hold on its wave, loosing Haruka's and Makoto's golden gale into the robot's chest. It barreled backward, hollering, falling into the sludge yards away, sludge rearing like a tsunami. Robo-Patrick yelped, jumped up, reaching for its backside.

"Their attack made it fall onto its 'Kick Me' sign," Ami said.

"That's gotta be a self-destruct." SpongeBob raised his bubble wand. "If we can press it a few more times…"

Haruka stepped beside Michiru, while Sailor Jupiter stalked to PallaPalla. Rei did not want to know what sort of thoughts were running through Makoto's head, perhaps visualizing hundreds of ways to kill PallaPalla slowly.

"That must be its only weakness," Ami said. "No wonder we couldn't damage it earlier. It must be nigh indestructible in other parts of its body."

"But Mina-chan and the others attacked its backside several times," Rei said. "How come their attacks weren't effective?"

Plankton poked his head out of Patrick's pocket once more. "Maybe my robots inherited the genius of their master, their overlord, their ruler—"

"Enlighten us," Haruka said flatly. "Who is that again? It's certainly not you."

"Don't interrupt me. It'll do you well to listen to people smarter than you." Plankton cleared his throat. "Anyhow, my robots must've installed some sort of defense mechanism around that sign to keep it safe. Sure, the weak spot looked obvious, but the weak spot wasn't as weak as it appeared."

Rei turned her attention to Robo-Patrick. Recovered, Chibi-Usa sat upright, Usagi, Setsuna, Haruka, and Mamoru surrounding her, watching Robo-Patrick whip its head in all directions.

"Trying to find your ice cream cone?" Patrick cupped his mouth to make sure his stupidity endangered his friends and allies. "I know where—"

Haruka slapped a hand over Patrick's mouth so hard that the slapping noise reverberated.

"What was that?" PallaPalla said. The glower that Makoto gave PallaPalla could've shattered mountains.

"Watch your power, Haruka," Michiru said. "I understand you wanted to keep him quiet, and for good reason, but haven't we had our talks about using excessive force?"

Haruka smiled slowly.

"Does everything have to be a euphemism with you?"

Robo-Patrick's eyes locked onto the cone that Sandy managed to hold, despite the cone being nearly twice the size of her paw. Its eyes reddened, and it charged, sloshing sludge in both directions like a wave runner cutting through the sea. Squidward hollered.

It reached for the cone. Sailor Venus flew sideways, out of the robot's path. A black beam burst from Sailor Pluto's Garnet Rod—Dead Scream—but Robo-Patrick batted the beam away.

PallaPalla snatched the cone out of Sandy's paw. "PallaPalla commands you to obey her alone."

"Are you an idiot?" Sailor Venus shouted.

Squidward and Sandy scrambled away from the Dead Moon Circus member. Makoto followed Sandy, and Ami jogged alongside Squidward to shield him.

Robo-Patrick leaped, reaching for its cone. PallaPalla's pupils contracted.

Makoto dove, tackling PallaPalla. A millisecond later, Robo-Patrick slammed onto the back of the platform, snapping the platform in half, leaving Ami, Rei, Haruka, Michiru, SpongeBob, and Patrick on the front half and Squidward, Makoto, Sandy, and PallaPalla on the other. Both halves teetered in opposite directions, toward the sludge. Robo-Patrick crashed under the sludge. The group scrambled to avoid the splashing sludge. A drip landed on Rei's arm, and Rei yelped.

Makoto and PallaPalla tumbled on the falling platform.

"You saved PallaPalla. Even though PallaPalla wouldn't have saved you."

"I thought I'd never save you, too." Makoto jumped upright, wrenched PallaPalla into one hand and grabbed Squidward's arm with the other, pulling the octopus forward. Haruka whisked Sandy into her arms, flying off the falling platform.

A tear dripped from the announcer's eye. "Friends saving friends, friends saving enemies…" He sniffed. "The most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Without covering it, he blew his nose. An image Rei could've done without.

Gripping SpongeBob's arm, Ami flew into the air. Together, Michiru and Rei carried Patrick. From above, they watched both halves of the platform fall in the sludge. Robo-Patrick stood, sludge pouring off the robot.

Robo-Patrick swatted at Rei, Michiru, and Patrick. Rei and Michiru flitted sideways, taking Patrick with them, but Robo-Patrick slapped Rei, the impact as hard as being crushed by three metal walls. Her hand popped off Patrick's arm, and she flew, the world darkening.

 _Michiru wouldn't have let Patrick down._

Rei wasn't as strong as she thought. Wasn't as strong as the others believed. Wasn't as strong as Michiru had told her.

Couldn't open her eyes. The robot's creaks, her friends' shouts, all faded.

* * *

Propped up on Michiru's quickly summoned small wave, Patrick watched Rei fly with her eyes closed. Amazing that she could fly without seeing where she was going.

Ami called Rei's name. When any of the Guardians called another's name, something bad had happened. Patrick called Rei's name, too, because it seemed appropriate.

"Can't move…" came Mamoru's faint voice. He was paler than Patrick's butt after a long winter. Usagi looked pale, too. They were useless. So was Patrick, not being able to fly.

A hawk swooped into the park.

SpongeBob dangled his feet, Ami holding him by the arms above the sludge. "Hawks don't live in Bikini Bottom."

Plankton peered out of Patrick's pocket. "Is that Hawk's Eye?"

"Another eye that isn't an eye?" Patrick said. Setsuna flew, gripping Rei by the shoulders and stopping her flight, leaving Chibi-Usa with Hotaru and Usagi standing on another platform that they had jumped onto.

"Hawk's Eye! PallaPalla's really glad to see you."

Makoto's expression hardened at the hawk. Maybe it'd been part of whatever happened at Sand Mountain.

Robo-Patrick reached for Sandy and, by extension, Haruka, the sludge cone gripped in Sandy's lasso. Haruka flew sideways, trying to dodge, but the hawk dove toward Haruka, jabbing its talons into her forehead. She faltered, and Robo-Patrick gripped Haruka and Sandy in one hand.

"A potentially fatal distraction from a random hawk's sudden appearance could doom our heroes," Johnny said.

"That's how you do it." Was PallaPalla's voice weaker?

Makoto punched PallaPalla's forehead, and her head hung down once more. "Shut up." She'd knocked PallaPalla unconscious.

Robo-Patrick roared in their faces, bits of green sludge splattering them.

Haruka reared back. "How does a robot's breath stink?"

Robo-Patrick's hand jerked toward its "Kick Me" sign. Sailor Venus hovered behind Robo-Patrick, running her hand along the length of her whip.

"One of SpongeBob's little human friends takes advantage of the distracted robot and goes for its weak spot," Johnny said.

Robo-Patrick's grip on Haruka and Sandy didn't loosen. Patrick would never let go of food, especially food that had been stolen from him. Anger would cause him to do his best to get that food back and make sure that he never lost it again.

In that way, food wasn't a weakness, but was a strength, as the Guardians had failed to realize.

Before Patrick could voice his unknown insight, Robo-Patrick tightened its grip on Haruka and Sandy, and their hollers pierced the air. Mamoru and Usagi said naughty words about their weaknesses. Chibi-Usa joined them in cursing.

Hotaru raised her glaive. "Silence Glaive Surprise."

The hawk flew away from the oncoming beam shooting forth from Sailor Saturn's glaive—looked like the only attacks the Guardians had were beams, which hadn't proved helpful. Smoke burst forth with the beam, fogging the area, so much so that Patrick's eyes watered. The beam crashed into Robo-Patrick's backside, and the robot collapsed onto the broken platform, shattering the platform into more pieces, and into the sludge, splattering the group.

Patrick hollered, the sludge feeling like it was burning through Patrick's skin. His holler joined the others—couldn't tell exactly who, but it seemed as though PallaPalla had awakened once more, based on the way she was screaming. The hawk was gone. Must've gotten out of the way before the sludge could reach it.

Robo-Patrick bounded onto its feet, eyes deepening into crimson.

They'd been fighting for such a long time, and Patrick hadn't attacked at all. He hadn't even been able to help the group with finding and exploiting the robots' weaknesses, other than the "Kick Me" sign. The sludge had awakened Rei, too, since she was hollering with the rest of them.

Patrick had to stop being a load.

Robo-Patrick turned once, twice, and then began to spin, pelting the group with more sludge and chunks of the platforms it broke.

Patrick found himself screaming alongside his friends, the sludge making his skin smoke, making it feel as though his skin were disintegrating. The world dimmed. Couldn't sleep now.

A crow's caw came from the distance. Another caw joined it.

Their caws were the last sounds Patrick heard as the world faded alongside the cacophony of the robot's boops and beeps and everyone's hollering.

The pain faded, too. Maybe Patrick had gained superpowers of his own, the power of self-healing through being around others with superpowers all the time.

 _Let your eyes close, Patrick. Don't fear the darkness. Embrace it._ The soft, childlike voice calmed Patrick. He let his eyes close, but he saw two crows that morphed into miniature, winged fairies with black hair. In one of their hands materialized a crystal.

 _Hey,_ Patrick said, _I thought fairies were supposed to look different_. Even though he tried to speak out loud, he ended up speaking in his head, without opening his mouth. Which was good. Patrick found trying to communicate with words hard sometimes because he was a genius and simplified everything. For some reason, people couldn't understand his simple speech.

The fairies nodded. They understood.

 _We aren't fairies,_ one said. _My name is Phobos, and this is my sister, Deimos. We're Rei's crows from Japan._

 _Uh-huh. So now you're in my mind. But you guys could be part of Dead Moon Circus, like Tiger's Eye ended up breaking into Rei's dream and hurting her real bad._

 _We aren't the enemies. Please trust us._

 _I can't. Lots of people have told me to trust them so far, and they ended up hurting my friends._

The fairies smiled. One said, _We've been watching from afar, and we can tell that you've grown wiser. Because we've been with Rei since she was a little girl, we're telepathically linked with her. We can see what she sees, hear what she hears. We've watched her relationship with you grow._ A giggle. _She used to abhor you, Patrick, but now she likes you. A lot._

Patrick warmed. Weird, since he couldn't see his own body. Maybe he couldn't feel pain because he'd lost his body. _That's good. I like me a lot, too._ He tried to nod but, being bodiless, he couldn't. _Okay, I'll trust you. You sound trustworthy._

The fairies exchanged looks. Even in Patrick's dreams, others were confused by him.

 _So if you're Rei's crows, why didn't you go straight inside Rei's head?_

 _Your closeness with Rei reflects her maturity, a maturity that she didn't gain by being around us. That's why her Sailor Crystal appeared to us only when we were close to you, not Rei. It's better for you to present her with her crystal. We're here only to explain what his crystal is, so you can give it to her instead of accidentally throwing it away, thinking it to be useless._

 _I don't understand a word you're saying._

 _Patrick,_ Deimos said—the other one. But they both looked the same. _Your concern for Rei and her concern for you has caused the Sailor Crystal to physically manifest itself. By giving her the Sailor Crystal, she'll become Super Sailor Mars. With her newfound powers, she'll be able to finish the fight against your robot self._

 _We can't control where the Sailor Crystal manifests itself,_ Phobos said. _Patrick, it's chosen you to be Rei's presenter._

 _I still can't understand you. Is it because we're not physically talking?_

 _We can feel your confusion. That's what makes communicating this way better than talking out loud. We don't necessarily need words to communicate._

 _Uh…_

Phobos and Deimos giggled at the same time. Creepy.

 _Don't worry, Patrick. We'll make things simple for you. Give the crystal to Rei. She'll know what to say to transform into Super Sailor Mars._

Patrick understood that.

 _Good, you understand._

 _But I didn't say I understood._

 _That's the beauty of telepathy._ Both fairies bowed. _It was nice meeting you, Patrick Star,_ they said at the same time. Creepier and creepier. _Here._ They held out the Crystal, and Patrick's hand appeared, taking it. _Now, open your eyes, and save Bikini Bottom._

Patrick opened his eyes, still sitting on Michiru's wave. How much time had passed since he'd fallen unconscious?

The pain that had faded in the dark world with Phobos and Deimos crashed into Patrick at once, and the starfish yelped.

Robo-Patrick staggered around, eyes whirling.

"The robot's made itself dizzy," Johnny said.

Rainbow light emanated from Sailors Moon's and Chibi-Moon's Moon Kaleidoscopes, onto the group that had been pelted by sludge. The burn marks disappeared from Patrick's skin.

"Patrick, what happened?" Rei said as SpongeBob said, "Are you okay?" Rei's eyes drifted to the Crystal he cupped.

"What, what's that?" Rei said, her eyes aglow with the Crystal's red light.

Patrick held out the Crystal to her. "For you. Some fairy-crows came and gave it to me to give to you. Said somethin' about me being close to you."

Rei's mouth parted. "Phobos and Deimos? I thought I'd heard them cawing, but I thought I was going crazy. They appeared to you?"

"That's right."

Robo-Patrick collapsed onto his bottom, sludge splashing.

Smiling, Michiru placed Patrick on a small, circular platform. Rei landed in front of him. He stepped before her, holding out her Mars Crystal. "For you."

Rei grasped it, and the world changed.

* * *

Rei had never thought that Patrick would be the one she'd grow closest with in Bikini Bottom. When she'd first landed in Bikini Bottom, if someone had told her that Patrick was the one she'd learn to not only tolerate but befriend, she'd have called the person crazy and done all she could to avoid the starfish. But now, counting how many times she'd saved Patrick, how Patrick had saved her, how they'd worked together in Downtown Bikini Bottom and Rock Bottom, Rei wasn't surprised. She wasn't annoyed or embarrassed for him and his shenanigans.

She was proud to call Patrick Star her friend.

The heart-shaped Crystal, the burning, passionate love she held for Patrick and every one of her friends, brightened. The desire to protect them leaped inside of her, like she'd stoked the flames with coals.

This was the feeling she'd been seeking, the feeling that had faded when she'd come to Bikini Bottom, the desire to save these creatures nonexistent. SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy had the mercy to save the humans without knowing them, the possibility of their eating the sea creatures or destroying Bikini Bottom.

They'd fought for her. Time for her to fight for them.

She held the Crystal to her chest. "Mars Crystal Power, Make-up!" Flames so great that they poured into the underwater world, enveloped and strengthened her. She could keep her eyes open and, through the flames, watch Robo-Patrick climbing onto its feet. Patrick jumped, clambered onto the robot's shoulder, punched the robot. The robot punched Patrick, its fist encompassing his whole body, and the starfish flew backward. Haruka caught him, but he jumped out of her arms, the other Guardians protesting.

Patrick pounded his chest, expression the fiercest Rei had seen. "C'mon and play with me. You're not gonna attack Rei while she's gettin' stronger." He was putting his all into protecting Rei. The fire grew.

While Patrick distracted his robot self, pummeling and stomping on it, Rei could attack from a distance. One shot was all it took.

She closed her eyes, imagining her quiver and arrows, drawing back an arrow and letting it loose, into the bullseye, like she'd done so many times at home and school.

A strip of the surrounding flames shaped into an arrow. She gripped it.

The Mars Arrow.

The flames around her faded, revealing her clad in her sailor suit, the bow on her skirt elongated. The power was nearly overwhelming.

"Rei." Michiru stepped behind her. "I'm so proud of you, how far you've come. Your spiritual insight, warning us of danger, of what truly lies in others' hearts, has been invaluable. You have a passion that no one else can rival. Channel that energy, the love and passion you hold from your heart."

Rei focused on Robo-Patrick, real Patrick hanging on his robot self's shorts. The robot repeatedly slapped Patrick. Robo-Patrick sloshed about, splashing Sailor Venus with sludge, keeping her at bay. Patrick kicked the robot's backside, and the robot turned, its backside facing the Guardians, stupidly thinking that it could end Patrick.

Patrick had turned the robot right where he needed to be turned.

"Your greatest power lies within your heart." Michiru took Sailor Mars' arms, guided her hands over Rei's heart. "Draw an arrow from your chest." The arrow lengthened, more flames bursting from her heart. "With all your heart and soul, make it stronger."

Rei could see Robo-Patrick before her, its sign the clearest she'd seen. She could see Patrick pounding at the robot. Could see Patrick saving her from her nightmare, saving Chibi-Usa, conquering his fear of the darkness to save Plankton. Could see Michiru encouraging and challenging her. Usagi saving Rei from loneliness. Minako saving Rei from graveness, showing her how to live joyfully, no matter the situation.

The flames thickened, but Robo-Patrick grew clearer, and Michiru was not burned.

Michiru squeezed Rei's arm. "Let it soar."

"Mars…" The flames brightening Mars' eyes and cleared the way. "Flame Sniper!"

She loosed the arrow, and more flames shot with the arrow. The flames engulfed Robo-Patrick, and he dropped and rolled on the ground, releasing Patrick. The arrow was flying straight ahead, about to pass over the robot. _No._

Patrick leaped up, grabbed the arrow, the flames gathering about his hand and snaking over his arm, threatening to crisp him into a blackened shell. As quickly as he grabbed the arrow, he threw it toward the sign just as the robot's backside, the sign visible, faced Patrick. The arrow pierced through the robot's sign, through the robot. Wires blossomed from its holes, and electricity crackled about. Hollering, the robot rolled onto its back.

Before the electricity could reach him, Patrick pinched his nose. "Geronimo!" He jumped toward the sludge. Sailor Neptune launched a wave, and it swept under the starfish, carrying him to the platform where she and Rei stood.

No god was around to suppress the imminent explosion.

"If it explodes, it'll destroy this whole park," Sandy said. "We gotta stop it."

Squidward turned in all directions. Searching for an escape route? "You mean _you_ all have to stop it. I'm getting out of here. Somehow."

SpongeBob raised his bubble wand. "Now it's time for me to help. I tried this attack out in the Mermalair, but I think I've perfected it. "

Ami stepped beside him. "I think I can help you."

SpongeBob blew a bubble, a motor on the bubble's back. At the same time, Ami launched several bubbles, her bubbles being absorbed into and growing SpongeBob's. She launched another one, hovering it beside SpongeBob's. His motor bubble launched forward, ahead of Ami's, grew a hand and gestured toward itself, as though it were telling Ami's bubbles to follow it. Ami stroked her Mercury Harp, enlarging her bubble. SpongeBob's bubble combined with hers, and a motor popped at the back of it. The combined bubble jetted forward.

"Hyperspatial Sphere Generate!" The air within the bubble shifted, darkened, preparing to whisk Robo-Patrick into another universe.

"You didn't tell me we were naming this attack." SpongeBob moved his wand, controlling the bubble. "Let's call this the Hyperspatial Sphere Cruise, a hybrid of my new Cruise Bubble and your attack."

The combined bubbles immersed Robo-Patrick. Light shone from the cracks zigzagging in the robot. It pounded its chest, a noise of distress and anger tearing from its throat. It reached toward Squidward and SpongeBob, lip quivering. "P-play…"

Squidward huddled against Makoto. More lights shone through the robot. More electricity pulsed around it. Chunks of it broke, crashed onto the jostle the bubble encasing it.

It burst. Sweat glistened Ami's brow as the Sailor Soldier worked to suppress the explosion. SpongeBob grinded his teeth, eyes watering, the sponge stepping backward. Pieces of the robot pinballed around the bubble. SpongeBob waved his wand upward, and the bubble flew into the sky, taking the rattling robot's remnants. The bubble disappeared in the distance.

Ami slowly lowered her arms. SpongeBob wiped sweat from his forehead.

Robo-Patrick was finished.

A tear dropped from the announcer's eye. "Another beautiful display of teamwork from SpongeBob—well, mainly Patrick and those two girls in the red and turquoise sailor suits. But I suppose the others did well, too."

A vein protruded from Minako's forehead. "You suppose. You _suppose?_ " She lashed the air with her Love Whip, not showing love. "I'll show you what 'suppose' looks like."She ran her hand along her Whip.

"Let's just sit." Usagi panted. "Sit and rest."

Rei wanted to sit. Badly. If she wasn't careful, she could collapse from exhaustion.

At the end, the robot had sounded like it could talk in an understandable language, had a conscious, but she was too tired to decipher why.

PallaPalla gaped at the explosion and at Makoto. Hawk's Eye was gone, perhaps waiting for a more opportune time to attack.

Suddenly, PallaPalla paled in comparison to the tiredness about to crush Rei if she didn't close her eyes soon.

"We all look like hell," Makoto said. At least Rei didn't have to feel bad about being the only one. Even though she'd gotten her upgrade, she didn't feel more energetic.

Patrick walked to her. "Thanks, Rei." He fisted his hips, fisting Plankton as well, Plankton squealing in pain. He took his hand off his "future master." "Oops. Sorry about that. Anyway, Rei, now I know for sure that you aren't Manray and will never become Manray."

"What was your first clue?" Rei said, but her voice didn't have a snap, she was so tired. The fact that she still became angry at Patrick showed that their relationship would never be perfect, but they'd be close. Forged by trials, they would be friends for the rest of their days. No matter how far apart they were physically, they would always hold each other in their hearts.

At first, she would've been ashamed to call a stupid anthropomorphic starfish her friend. Now, she didn't want Patrick out of her life.

Rei wrapped her arms around Patrick and pulled him close.

Thank goodness Patrick Star was her friend.


	45. Vacillating

**Chapter Forty-five: Vacillating**

Zirconia grinded her teeth. Yet another opportunity for the Amazoness Quartet to kill the Sailor Guardians, wasted.

How could the centuries-old queen be foolish enough to use four mouthy teenagers? Teenagers who had created the Amazon Trio from a fish, a tiger (now dead, demonstrating PallaPalla's incompetence), and a hawk, but teenagers teeming with immaturity. Age hadn't brought the queen wisdom.

Through her crystal ball, Zirconia watched the Guardians smile and pat one another on the backs over the robot's defeat, that sponge and starfish prancing about. She dug her nails into her palms. If hate was a power, she'd be strong enough to kill the Guardians, find the Golden Crystal, and save her queen.

The mirror holding Queen Nehellenia stood to the side of the dark, dank circus tent, where the remnants of Dead Moon awaited their opportunity to vanquish the Moon Kingdom. Zirconia and the queen had been waiting for millennia, recently finding the Amazoness Quartet in a forest and then brainwashing the teens into lackeys. The Moon Kingdom had stolen much from Dead Moon; stealing their former allies seemed fair.

The Amazoness Quartet couldn't find out. Zirconia had done her best to hide it from the Quartet, occupying the teenagers by giving them a circus. Thanks to their obsession with the circus, the young women didn't question their lives before meeting the queen and Zirconia. As long as Zirconia kept the teens distracted, they'd never find out, and the Guardians would never restore the Moon Kingdom. The Guardians were powerful enough, thrashing the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio during the circus performance. Zirconia would have to give those girls a stern talking-to once they returned from the sea.

Speaking of the sea, they weren't doing well there, either.

Zirconia wanted to blame their bad performance on the underwater world draining them, the different physics, the uniqueness. The Quartet overflowed with energy, were so smart, defied physics all the time in Japan, yet VesVes had been handily defeated, Tiger's Eye killed. CereCere and Fisheye had been nearly captured by the Guardians but escaping using the little skill needed. The same couldn't be said for PallaPalla. Hawk's Eye had failed to distract the Guardians in the industrial park.

Zirconia couldn't show the queen how badly the Dead Moon Circus was faring. One of the few times Zirconia was glad that the queen was trapped in a mirror.

The Amazoness Quartet wouldn't like it, but it was time for Zirconia to become involved. Who knew how long Zirconia could lie to his queen about the Dead Moon Circus' progress?

Zirconia raised a hand. On a shelf beside her, Zircon was perched on a stick of wood. Fluttering its wings, the eye landed on Zirconia's shoulder.

Zircon was excited, too.

Queen Nehellenia laughed, deep, throaty. "Show them our power, Zirconia."

A grin spread on Zirconia's face. Unlike the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio, she would not fail her queen.

* * *

In front of the platform on which the group stood, the robot's remains floated atop the sludge. Heck, the sludge could be radioactive, bring the chunks of metal to life and create miniature Robo-Patricks. Chibi-Usa wasn't worried, though. The robot had been defeated by a simple arrow from Sailor Mars. _Super_ Sailor Mars now.

Every Guardian, except Jupiter, had received their Super forms. Neither the Dead Moon Circus nor the robots stood a fighting chance.

But Usagi and Mamoru had struggled immensely.

When Chibi-Usa had first seen her parents after what had seemed like an eternity, her spirit leaped. Once she'd gotten close, seen that they were as white as ghosts, her heart plummeted. Several times, she'd thought her parents were going to die, especially Usagi, trying to save Chibi-Usa from the block of ice.

Chibi-Usa had her Super form. She was still a burden.

Helios was strengthening her. She was still a burden.

No matter how powerful and wise she became, she was still a burden.

Why?

Chibi-Usa did everything right. She trained, she fought with all her might, but all her might wasn't enough to defeat enemies and protect her loved ones. They protected her, and her parents couldn't protect her in their condition.

Even though she was Sailor Moon's daughter, she didn't have a quarter of Sailor Moon's power.

What was wrong with her?

Nothing was. She had been convinced of that in the Mermalair.

Helios had come and told her not to cry.

Had she been reduced to running around the same bush of self-pity again and again, only for Pegasus to come and soothe her again and again, only for her friends and fellow Guardians to pity her weakness again and again?

No. Chibi-Usa was Usagi and Mamoru's daughter. Their strength and power flowed through her veins. She had to keep training, keep growing, and protect them like they had protected her countless times.

At the same time, her parents coughed into the crooks of their elbows. Chibi-Usa hurried to their sides. Her parents may have powers that normal humans didn't have, able to live for millennia without showing their age, rule the solar system, and be darn near immortal, but a mere curse had stopped them. Whoever had cursed them had to be powerful beyond imagination.

Patrick smacked both Usagi's and Mamoru's backs. They coughed harder.

"Is that helping?" Chibi-Usa said.

"I think so," Patrick said. But the two coughed more forcefully, Usagi starting to gag.

Thousands of thoughts sprinted through Chibi-Usa's mind, scrambling over one another in a race to reach the forefront, clarify themselves so she could _act._ She froze. Might as well be encased in ice again.

Regardless, none of her fellow Guardians, Squidward (who preached that he was oh-so grateful but did nothing to help), Sandy, or SpongeBob were acting. Only Patrick was pounding Usagi's and Mamoru's backs, to no avail. Maybe they could only wait for the fit to pass.

Mamoru waved Patrick away. "S-stop," he managed to get out between coughs, his voice crackling through the blood.

Patrick stopped in mid-slap. "What, you don't wanna be slapped?"

Rei sighed. "No, Patrick, they don't like being hurt."

Patrick crossed his arms. "Strange. Mamoru liked it before." When he didn't want anyone to know what was going on.

Mamoru parted his red eyes. "I feel like…" He hacked. Everyone had the courtesy to quietly wait for his fit to end. "I feel like this curse is getting worse."

Makoto faced PallaPalla. "You know something about this curse."

"A statement, not a question," Plankton said. Makoto's glare could've melted Antarctica. He dove back into the safety of Patrick's pocket.

PallaPalla turned up her nose. "Maybe PallaPalla does, maybe PallaPalla doesn't."

Makoto moved so quickly that, to the untrained eye, she would've seemed to disappear and then reappear in front of PallaPalla. She pressed her face into PallaPalla's, but the Dead Moon Circus member didn't flinch. "Just because I saved you doesn't mean we're friends. So don't piss around with me."

PallaPalla and Makoto glowered at one another. The industrial park was silent.

Until Johnny said, "I can feel the tenseness all the way over here." What a way to kill a moment.

Haruka cleared her throat. "Are you going to do anything, Makoto? Or are you just gonna stand there?"

Makoto bit her lip.

"You don't have to do anything," Sandy said. "Not yet, anyhow. Not for my sake."

"Not for ours, either," Mamoru said.

Makoto didn't take her eyes off PallaPalla. "Not if she's holding information that could mean life or death for you."

"Why should PallaPalla tell you about the curse? You didn't tell her about Tiger's Eye."

"He's dead," Rei said. "Satisfied?"

"D-dead?" PallaPalla's pupils contracted; she looked someplace far away. Her knees buckled, and she sank to the floor.

Overhead, a hawk spiraled above the industrial park, primed to strike. Chibi-Usa aimed her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope toward Hawk's Eye. She wouldn't let him stop them from learning about the curse.

PallaPalla's face reddened. Veins protruded from her neck and forehead. "You wanna know why you're cursed? Fine. The queen hates you all. That's why." She jabbed a finger toward Usagi. "Because _you_ sealed her inside that mirror."

Usagi placed a hand on her chest. "I, I did? But…" Her brow creased. "When? How?" Every detail of their past lives hadn't been revealed yet. In her past life, Usagi could've done scorned many, and she didn't remember. She couldn't recall what she was like. Didn't even know if she was a good or a bad person.

Chibi-Usa knew that her mama was beautiful, pure, lovely. If she'd sealed the queen inside a mirror, she'd done so because the queen was seeking to destroy her loved ones, not out of selfishness or a desire for power.

Nevertheless, Usagi had angered her enemies. The consequences were affecting her friends. Guilt must be crushing Usagi.

If only Chibi-Usa could hug her mama. Their enemies had taken away the basic right of mother and daughter touching each other.

Chibi-Usa was grinding her teeth. She stopped. Couldn't let her anger overtake her.

"You thought you could keep your being the reincarnation of Princess Serenity a secret," PallaPalla said. "So stupid. Just by transforming, you revealed yourselves to us. Did you really think that you could keep Queen Nehellenia sealed away forever? She figured that she'd need to get rid of you before she could reign again." Her eyes glistened. "You sealed away the kindest person who ever lived, the one who took PallaPalla and her sisters in when they were abandoned. That's why PallaPalla and her sisters hate you." She spat into Makoto's face. A storm darkened Makoto's expression, but she didn't act, perhaps to keep PallaPalla talking.

"The only reason she might've saved you is to help herself," Chibi-Usa said.

PallaPalla blinked, glanced sideways. She hardened her expression. "Sh-shut up. How could you know what the queen's really like? You sealed her away because she wanted to share your kingdom in peace, but you wanted to keep the kingdom all to yourself."

"That might be what she told you, but that might not be the whole truth."

"I told you to _shut up._ " She drew back a fist. Makoto caught it. PallaPalla's arm trembled with the effort of trying to pry her fist from Makoto's hand. She sneered. "Okay. I'll tell you how to cure your curse." She looked over each of the Guardians. Realizing she was gaping, Chibi-Usa closed her mouth. "Guess what?" She spread her free arm. "Even if you kill me, my sisters, the queen, all of Dead Moon, you won't get rid of the curse _._ " She broke into laughter. "Isn't that something? You can do all this work to destroy Dead Moon, but it won't get you sh—"

PallaPalla's face contorted as Makoto's fist smashed her face, the stomach-churning crunch echoing. Another sound that Chibi-Usa would hear in her nightmares about robots conquering the Moon Kingdom and killing her loved ones. PallaPalla shot through the air. She crashed into the sludge, sunk, bubbles rising to the top.

"Then killing you is fine." Makoto stepped to the edge of the platform, blood dripping from one pair of knuckles.

Haruka was too expressionless. "So, she's decided that it's all right," she said softly. Something deeper must've happened in Sand Mountain that they hadn't told the rest of the team about.

SpongeBob covered his mouth, shaking. Patrick gawked; even he understood the gravity of what was happening.

"Didn't I tell you that wasn't necessary?" Sandy said. Not seeming to hear, Makoto kept glaring at the sludge. PallaPalla surfaced, spluttering.

"You thought that love tap would kill me?" She coughed, struggling to swim through the sludge, her skin burning into blackness.

"No." Makoto cracked her knuckles, smearing blood onto the palm of her other hand. "But I'm hoping to kill you as slowly and painfully as possible."

Overhead, Hawk's Eye had stopped. Watching.

Makoto flew toward PallaPalla. Shouts from Usagi and Ami to stop, to spare PallaPalla, sounded behind Chibi-Usa, and then Chibi-Usa realized that she was screaming, too.

Hawk's Eye dove between Makoto and PallaPalla, morphing between a human, remaining part hawk so that he could still fly. "Don't touch her." He thrust his beak. Not breaking her stride, Makoto grabbed his beak and hurled him sideways with such force that Chibi-Usa gasped.

"The sludge is toxic," Sandy called. "It'll finsh her itself."

"I want to kill her myself," Makoto said, voice the darkest that Chibi-Usa had ever heard. When had Makoto started to harbor such violence within her heart?

Chibi-Usa stepped back. She wanted to be as far away from Sailor Jupiter as possible.

Makoto drove her foot through the sludge, into PallaPalla's abdomen. PallaPalla flew, clashing against a chain-link fence and then barreling over. Parts of her clothing had melted, revealing skin blackened from the sludge.

Hawk's Eye dove. He grasped his creator's arm and flew her away. Makoto pursued. Haruka swerved in front of Makoto, and Makoto stopped, glaring. Chibi-Usa was surprised that Makoto hadn't tossed Haruka aside.

Makoto worked her mouth, badly wanting to defy her mentor, but garnered up enough self-control to say and do nothing.

"No, I'm not moving." Haruka looked at Makoto's clenching hands, her right hand's knuckles bloodied with her own and PallaPalla's blood. "We can get more information from her later."

"But they're despicable," Makoto said. "You heard her. There's no reason to keep any of them alive."

Sailor Mercury shifted from side to side. Had something else happened in the Mermalair that Chibi-Usa hadn't known about?

Where were these secrets coming from, the sudden shame causing the team to not want to tell one another everything, like they used to? If they kept secrets, then they couldn't be cohesive.

"That's what you said," Haruka told Makoto.

"She told us that killing them won't stop the curse. So there's no need to keep them alive anymore." Makoto shook with the thirst to end PallaPalla and Hawk's Eye. "I wish I'd never saved her life."

"Yes, they're terrible. Doesn't mean they're not useful. All that information she gave us… They're holding tons more, even if it might not be one-hundred percent accurate. Shows us that their boss might be manipulating them."

The way that PallaPalla had spoken about their queen made Usagi seem like she was evil, while the queen and the Dead Moon were good. Something to investigate.

"But it looks like you've made your decision about killing," Haruka said.

The storm lifted from Sailor Jupiter's expression. Makoto Kino once more.

Makoto looked at her bloodied hands, her scuffs and cuts, like she was seeing herself for the first time. "I wasn't thinking. It isn't okay. It may be necessary, but…"

Haruka placed a hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Let's talk later."

Makoto stiffened. "Again?"

"Again. Admit it, we need to." She gestured toward Michiru. "Maybe with that lovely lady in tow."

She blanked, and her forehead shone with a break of sweat. "Makes, makes sense." So she admired both Michiru and Haruka. Tag-teamed by her mentors, she'd be helpless.

"By the way…" She squeezed Makoto's shoulder, eyes narrowing to silts. "Don't act recklessly again. The next time you do, I'll punch you myself. Trust me, my punches feel much worse than yours."

Makoto pursed her lips, nodding. She returned to the platform, Haruka behind her.

A sniff from behind Chibi-Usa. Tears flowed down Usagi's cheeks.

"All this curse is doing is tearing us apart." Usagi wiped her eyes. "First Mamo-chan and I, and now it's affecting everyone else. The worst part is, _I'm_ the one who caused the curse, and I don't know what I did."

Mamoru was at Usagi's side almost as quickly as Makoto had attacked PallaPalla. "You can't blame yourself, Usa. She must've been lying. They have no reason to tell us the truth." His voice wavered. A string of truth had been laced within PallaPalla's words.

"Everything always leads back to me." Instead of crying into Mamoru's shoulder, like she usually did, she buried her head into the crook of her elbow, trying to heave the burdens by herself.

"We may have been torn apart for a little while, but we came back stronger than before. And that'll happen this time, too."

The way Makoto was crossing her arms, the Guardians wouldn't be the same for a long time.

SpongeBob's eyes welled with tears. He broke into wailing, sinking to his knees. "This is all my fault. I'm the one who caused this robot mess."

Minako raised a finger. "Didn't we establish that it's Plankton's fault?"

SpongeBob melted into a puddle, his water-self retracting each time he sniffed, puddling back out each time he exhaled. "I wish I could do something right now."

Patrick collapsed and started crying. "Why can't I find all my socks?"

Rei ran a hand down her face.

Plankton jumped out of Patrick's pocket. "Quit that crying. _I'm_ the one who caused everything. I made the robots, with my genius. Give me the credit. The, the blame. I'm sorry." He hiccupped. "I didn't mean to break any of you apart. Friendship is a precious thing. Karen…"

Chibi-Usa's eyebrows arched. The first time that the Guardian had heard Plankton say something unselfish, remorseful. The way he was crying, he meant it.

Everyone's tears seemed to be more than for themselves. Patrick's glance at the broken Usagi broke the starfish, too, and he cried harder. Plankton cried, realizing the weight of what he'd done, how much his selfish ambition had affected others. SpongeBob cried because he hadn't been able to bring others together.

Chibi-Usa had a feeling that, if the Sailor Team hadn't ended up in Bikini Bottom, they wouldn't be rocked with turmoil. But that didn't mean what had happened was anyone's fault.

Everyone needed comfort and reassurance. Turning to the sky, Chibi-Usa summoned her bell that Helios had given her. He had to have some answers, had to be associated with Dead Moon; couldn't be a coincidence that Helios had started appearing around the same time the Dead Moon Circus had.

She rung the bell, said the words to summon Helios.

She waited.

He'd never let her down. He couldn't not show up.

But he didn't.

Chibi-Usa grew heavy. Their world was coming apart from lies, the robots, Dead Moon, something happening to Helios.

Everything was burying them at once.

Despite their victory, it felt like they'd lost.


	46. The Strength in Weakness

**Chapter Forty-six: The Strength in Weakness**

Since the Guardians had been transported underwater, Helios had been weakening.

The curse had wracked Mamoru, whom he was connected to. The fighting, the strain of Mamoru's dwelling and Helios' brief forays underwater had sapped more of Helios' powers.

So when Chibi-Usa had called him, he couldn't muster the energy to come. The longer Dead Moon's curse persisted, the more Helios', Mamoru's and Usagi's bodies broke down.

His determination and love for his small maiden and her friends couldn't strengthen him enough to reach them and reveal the truth.

Helios didn't let himself lay down. He gripped the bars of the cage, looking into the desolate Elysion.

As soon as Dead Moon's weaknesses were exposed, Helios would exploit them. And he would return to his maiden.

* * *

Makoto wiped the blood from her knuckles, smearing her skirt with blood, vainly trying to erase the evidence of what she'd done, the cause of everyone's pain and tears.

Despite Usagi's insistence that she had caused the curse (must be a lie), despite SpongeBob's insistence that the robot invasion was his fault (it wasn't), despite Plankton's admitting that the robot invasion was _his_ fault (the guy finally grew a pair), everyone's emotions led back to Makoto. Silly Makoto, thinking she'd calmed down since the incident in Sand Mountain.

Even though she'd saved PallaPalla, mostly to gain more information, partly out of compassion, her hate had resurfaced and shoved her over the edge once PallaPalla condemned Usagi for starting the curse.

Now, here Haruka was, standing beside Makoto, looking where PallaPalla and Hawk's Eye had disappeared into the distance. Watched Makoto out of the corner of her eye, making sure that Makoto didn't pursue their enemies.

Words couldn't calm Makoto. Destroying the Dead Moon Circus would. Or make her more uncontrollable, less likely to gain her upgrade.

Her fellow Guardians stood taller, radiated with power. Makoto tried to tell herself that her upgrade would come in due time but couldn't help but think that a part of her was defective. Which could be the case, considering her behavior in a span of hours.

Dread churned her stomach. Would her backward slide make getting her upgrade harder?

Squidward cleared his throat. "Well, this is…a situation. I, I don't know what to say." He tugged at a loose string on his brown T-shirt. "I'm sorry, Usagi. SpongeBob. Everyone. If I could, I'd help, but the only talent I have is serenading you with my beautiful clarinet playing, and I left my clarinet at home."

Thank goodness he had. His playing would make everyone cry more.

Chibi-Usa choked on her tears. She gripped her Carillion, white-knuckled, eyes scouring the industrial park's red, polluted sky for Helios. "He had to have heard me," she said under her breath. "He can't leave us now."

"He came in the nick of time before, Small Lady," Setsuna said, "when you were in trouble in the downtown area. He'll return when the time is right."

"But the time _is_ right. The time is now." She spread her arms. "What better time could there be?"

Everyone was aching. Even those not involved, who didn't grasp the magnitude of what was happening, like Patrick, who cried for his socks but felt a wave of emotions out of empathy for the Guardians.

"We should go back to my treedome," Sandy said. "Try n' figure things out there. Relax. Rest."

"True." Michiru hadn't shed a tear, didn't look distressed. Perhaps her powers were leveling her.

Minako faced the unscathed Johnny Elaine. "Do you want us to take you back, too?"

"I am but a head. I move in mysterious ways, ways I don't understand. I shall teleport to the next newsworthy event."

Patrick bounced up and down. "You can teleport?" He clapped his hands. "Teach me how to teleport. Teachmeteachmeteachme."

Rei grabbed Patrick's head and dragged the starfish away. With some gathering SpongeBob, Sandy, and Squidward, Michiru helping Rei with Patrick, the group flew over the sludge, the pumping machines and gas-blowing towers, out of Bikini Bottom's industrial park. Dropped off Squidward, who said he wanted no part of what was happening but only to return to his tiki. Wanted to play a melancholy song on his clarinet that reflected the latest chain of events. Hopefully, the group would escape far away before he started.

SpongeBob crouched where his pineapple had stood, took out a seed from his pocket, kissed it, buried it in the sand. He blinked, and a tear plunked on the buried seed. The ground quaked, and a beanstalk sprouted. A pineapple grew at the end of it, windows and a door popping out. The pineapple snapped from the beanstalk and slammed onto the sand. The stalk retracted back into the ground.

SpongeBob rubbed his hands. "All done. Home sweet home."

Everyone gawked. The most bizarre thing Makoto had ever seen.

"I'm not sure if I should keep trying to figure these things out," Ami said.

"I'm reaching the point you are," Setsuna said.

"Imagine if we could grow houses in Japan," Chibi-Usa said.

"People would lose their minds," Minako said. "There'd be houses everywhere."

They flew to the treedome, rendered speechless either from SpongeBob growing a house or from what had happened in the park. Sandy opened her home. She pulled a lever, and the water drained from the entryway. She took off her helmet, letting out a breath that she sounded like she'd been holding for a long time. SpongeBob and Patrick popped water-filled helmets onto their heads, while Plankton donned a teacup.

Once inside, Haruka leaned against the treedome's polyurethane glass. "So."

"So." Minako said.

The silence was deafening. Sniffles gave faint background noise. Usagi's tears had mostly dried, but her eyes were hollow.

Chewing her lip, Minako glanced at each of her ghastly-looking teammates. "We have to clear our minds before we keep going."

"I one-hundred percent agree," Haruka said. "We're all tired from fighting, but the emotional pain is tiring us more."

Rei, Patrick, and SpongeBob had sat in a circle, the normally elegant Rei not caring that she was sitting on grass. A testament to her exhaustion.

Ami couldn't reach any of her friends. Being the last to enter, she sat near the door. Sandy washed her hands in a basin at the side of the treedome, humming, not looking like someone had rended her mind.

Plankton rolled out of Patrick's pocket. "While you all work through your identity crisis, I'm going to get back out there and figure out a way to return to my Chum Bucket."

"It's not safe outside," Minako said. "You'll end up hurt or captured again."

"You seem to forget that—"

Minako made a talking gesture with her hands. "You are a genius. The way you've been acting, you sure haven't proven it. You've shown that you're the opposite of a genius, at best."

Plankton raised fists into the air, opening his mouth, a shout on his tongue.

"She has a point," Michiru said. "You were unbearable in Rock Bottom, and you're unbearable now, but we'd rather you stay safe with us."

Haruka's eyes widened. "Whoa, Michiru, insulting people to their faces? Your powers are making you bold."

Michiru shrugged. "It gets tiresome being polite all the time. Besides, even I'm a bit tired, and it's taking its toll on me."

"Everyone's tired." Minako let out a five-second yawn. Makoto found herself yawning right along with her friend. Through her tears, Chibi-Usa released a gargantuan yawn. "We've got to rest for a little while, or we'll be so bleary-eyed, we won't be able to function." Her frown deepened, making her look older than the fifteen years she was. What a burden Minako carried, keeping everyone together and leading the team. As much as Makoto focused on Usagi's, Mamoru's, and Chibi-Usa's charges of ruling the universe, everyone had giants. "I mean, some of us have been fighting and running around for at least eight hours straight. Let's lay down for a little while. I'm so tired, I could sleep right on the grass." She lay on her back.

"Someone should keep watch," Haruka said.

Minako waved her hand dismissively. "One of you Outer Guardians can. The rest of us have got to rest, or we'll fall asleep during our watches."

"Reasonable," Michiru said. "Here I was, about to accuse you of being lazy."

Minako twitched but kept her mouth closed.

"I can keep watch," Plankton said.

Minako propped herself up on her elbow. "All you'll do is run away and leave us to the wolves."

"Too bad that Bikini Bottom hasn't made you stupid like everyone else. You could let my future minion keep watch with me. He won't let me go."

Patrick saluted Plankton. "That's right." Plankton would tell Patrick to let him go, and Patrick would obey without question.

Minako narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think we're so stupid?"

"Because when I compare my intelligence with yours—"

"One of you Outer Guardians keep watch. You haven't been here as long as the rest of us." Minako laced her hands behind her head as the younger Guardians lay down, Usagi laying on Mamoru's chest, ignoring Mamoru's protesting that he would worsen her curse. Usagi shook her head and closed her eyes. Chibi-Usa tried to walk near her parents, but they gestured her away, saying that they didn't want anyone else to catch their curse. Chibi-Usa froze feet away from her parents, mouth parted.

Setsuna lay a hand on Chibi-Usa's shoulder. "Come on, Small Lady. You can lay beside Hotaru and I instead."

Chibi-Usa's eyebrows arched. She mumbled, "First Helios, now my parents." How emotions could distort reality. She backed toward Setsuna and Hotaru. Usagi's breath hitched. Could almost see her heart breaking. Mamoru kept still. Too still.

Setsuna gathered Chibi-Usa to her and spoke softly. The only other person perceptive enough to comfort Chibi-Usa was Setsuna. Probably Hotaru, too.

Michiru sat, crossing her legs, but didn't close her eyes, erect, poised to fight. Watched Bikini Bottom.

Haruka lay near Michiru, on her side, gazing up at the Guardian of the Sea, eyes sparkling with admiration and lust. Makoto would give unspeakable things to have a man look at her like that.

Sandy wiped her hands on a towel and then faced the Guardians. "I have a bed up in my—" But everyone except Makoto and Michiru had fallen asleep. Plankton lay on Patrick's belly, snoring too loudly for someone as small as him. Patrick's stomach rippled each time the starfish exhaled, bobbing Plankton in unison.

Sandy gestured toward her tree. "Makoto, you're welcome to sleep up there."

"I feel like you need the bed more than me."

"On the contrary, I think _you_ need it more than me. The way you've been actin' lately has been angrier than a bull surrounded by more red than Hollywood durin' those fancy award ceremonies."

"You know I don't know much about the U.S." Heck, even knowing about the U.S., Makoto wouldn't be able to understand a word Sandy had said.

"Not my fault you don't know your U.S. history."

"Do you know anything about Japan?"

Sandy's face blanked. "Uh, y'all speak Japanese."

"See there?"

"Fair enough." She turned toward the tree. "Seriously, come sleep in my tree instead of down here. I'd invite other folks, but they're already knocked out."

"Decide quickly," Michiru said, "or you won't get much sleep. We need to get back out there as soon as possible." They had maybe two hours, three at the most.

Makoto didn't want to keep playing this polite tug-of-war with Sandy. "I'll head up, then. You could come with me. If the bed's big enough for both of us." She cringed at how she sounded. Animal rights activists would cry, "Animal abuse. Bestiality."

"Sounds good." Shouldn't Sandy have stayed down here?

Makoto may be tired, but how could she be so thick? The squirrel wanted to talk privately with her.

The two climbed up the ladder, walked into the tree. Bark surrounded them, as expected from being inside a tree, only the bed, a nightstand, and, to the side, a bookshelf teeming with alphabetized chemistry, biology, engineering, calculus, sociology, and psychology books populating the room. Makoto sat on the edge of the bed. Clenched and unclenched her hands in a vain attempt to loosen herself enough to want to rest. The tiredness crushed her, but she didn't want to sleep, amped up after their encounter with the Dead Moon Circus, fighting with Robo-Patrick. She could've kept watch with Michiru and gotten her tongue-lashing out of the way.

"Relax." Sandy sat beside Makoto, lay on her back, spread her arms and sighed. "Ah, this feels better than gettin' a massage from a gorilla."

Makoto's eyebrows shot up. "Why did a gorilla give you a massage?"

Sandy swatted the air. "That's a story for another time." She turned onto her side, facing Makoto. "I wanted to talk about you. How you're feelin'. What's goin' on."

"Usually, I'm the one people lean on."

"You don't have to be that person all the time."

She rubbed her face. Was she that exasperated with herself? "I should be the one comforting you."

"Like you tried to back in Sand Mountain?"

Makoto winced. Yeah, she'd done a nice job. "At that time, all I could see was PallaPalla in the robots, all of our enemies. Even in the Patrick-bot." The words tumbled out. She did need to lean on others sometimes. While Haruka's talking-to was necessary, sometimes Makoto needed to be human and vent. The Outer Guardians always tried to fix things instead of listen. How did they stay unrattled by life's twists and turns?

"You look tenser than a cactus in the desert. You're thinkin' a bunch of stuff without tellin' me, and that's what we're up here for."

The corner of Makoto's mouth lifted. "You and your similes." If Sandy kept talking in riddles, Makoto would need a dictionary to decipher them.

"Awesome, ain't they? If this science stuff doesn't work out, I could become a poet. Anyhow, a compliment on my similes won't distract me from what we came up here to do, which is talk. Seems like you're awful uncomfortable lettin' it all out."

Before she could think about what she was saying, the words poured out in a tidal wave. "I've always been the strong one. It's weird to have someone listen to me, especially after what you've been through."

She shrugged. "It was just a nightmare."

"The Dead Moon Circus' nightmares aren't plain old nightmares. Their nightmares pierce deep into your being, taking everything you know and love and twisting them into evil. You can't tell me you weren't affected by what they did to you." Makoto stiffened. "What _did_ they show you?" She raised a finger. "And don't tell me that we came up here so I could vent."

Sandy shifted on the bed. "Let's make a deal. You vent to me first, then I'll tell you anything you wanna know about what them dern near naked folks did to me."

"That might've been too forward. I'm sorry. Tell me only if you feel ready to."

"Naw, it's fine. I wanna tell you."

"Okay." Makoto wrung her hands. "I wasn't expecting to have a conversation like this with a talking squirrel, of all things."

"Distractions, distractions."

She coughed lightly. "Right. Anyhow, when I saw PallaPalla walking away from you, all I saw was red. For a long time afterward, whenever I saw PallaPalla or was even near her, all I felt was anger. Maybe that's why I didn't fight well against the Patrick-bot." She chuckled humorlessly. "Here I am, telling everyone to tap into their emotions, let me be a shoulder to cry on, but I can't do the same. Since my emotions weren't well-controlled, neither were my powers. I felt more like a whirlwind than a human." She stretched her arms over her head. "Maybe I haven't gotten my power-up yet because I'm too emotional, too reckless. Too ruthless. Maybe…I need to become better. Change myself. Become strong like Haruka but controlled like Michiru."

Sandy crossed her ankles. "No harm in havin' role models. Problem is when you wanna start bein' just like `em. Wonderin' why you ain't like them, what's wrong with you to make you different than them." Her eyes grew distant.

Makoto's eyes softened. "This must hit close to home for you."

"What makes you say that?" Sandy's voice was flat.

"Your 'I don't care' tone, which says that you care a whole lot."

A small grin grew on her face. "All right, you got me. But this ain't about me. It's about you right now."

"No, I'm done."

"Naw, you ain't done yet. I distracted you, so keep goin'."

Sandy wasn't going to talk until Makoto finished to the squirrel's satisfaction. "Seeing my friends hurt like you were brings out the worst in me. All I do is lose control." She ran a hand through her hair. "That's really it. I feel like I'll repeat myself if I keep talking, so you'd better start before I bore both of us to death. Besides, we can't work everything out through just talking." Outside of the treedome, two Fodder's played tag with each other, zapping each other with their wands to declare the other, "It," jumping each time they were tagged. "Soon, we'll have to go back out there. And then we'll be able to work things out, through action." Twining her hands behind her head, she closed her eyes. "I do feel better. Thanks for being there for me, Sandy, even when you're hurting yourself."

"It's better to give than to receive. Even when you're achin'. Especially when you're achin'."

"You know what, Sandy?"

"What's that?"

"You're awesome."

"Aw, shucks, you're gonna make me blush."

The squirrel seemed like the plainest, least colorful, most "normal," even boring out of the trio of SpongeBob, Patrick, and herself. But Sandy had an empathy, a connection to humans that SpongeBob and Patrick couldn't match.

"I'm glad we're spending time together," Makoto said. "Relaxing. No pressure or robots or anyone else around us. Who would've thought I'd bond with a squirrel?"

"Anything's possible. Besides, I came down here to make friends with different species." She sat her feet flat upon the mattress. "That's part of what I was gettin' to earlier, about feelin' like an alien around others. This is gonna sound vain, but to be honest, I found out early on that I was, well, smarter than most other squirrels." She framed the light above within her hands. "See, I could make different stuff out of tree branches, leaves, trashcans, anythin' you can think of. So while my fellow squirrels were foragin' on foot for food, I made fancy li'l contraptions like rods with pincers at the end to grab food humans dropped, all while stayin' in the safety of the trees and bushes. Since I was grabbin' lots of food, the other squirrels got jealous. I gave food to them, but some wanted to get food for themselves, feel like they earned it, and others tried to take advantage of my kindness n' let me grab all their food for them. I wasn't havin' it. Pretty soon, I found myself on the outskirts of the squirrel community.

"Ironically, it was then that I started thinkin' about how to bring animals and humans together so squirrels wouldn't have to fight for food scraps and so we could learn more about each other, inventing cutting-edge technology together, build a better world. But that was a mammoth of a task, taller an order than a glass of Texas iced tea. I didn't know where to begin.

"I have mentors who happen to be monkeys—they were some of the few folks who could challenge me—and they sponsored me to go to a trip down to Bikini Bottom to bridge the gap between sea critters and land critters, including humans. It was a great opportunity, especially since a squirrel like me had never seen many fish, except the bones humans left behind when they ate them."

Makoto grimaced. Given that Japan was an island, all that she and others ate in Japan was fish. After fighting for Bikini Bottom and speaking with the creatures she ate, she was considering becoming a vegetarian.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make y'all feel guilty."

Makoto waved her apology away, speechless from guilt.

"Anyhow, I had never talked with a fish in my life. Didn't know if they spoke a different language or not, but I was curious `bout `em. And I wanted to study the underwater world. Never woulda imagined that a squirrel like me would have the chance to live in the bottom of the ocean. Not a place that I had exactly dreamed of going until my mentors came to me about it. So there I went.

"As I spent more and more time in Bikini Bottom, I realized that we have much more in common than we thought. We all got feelings, we all wanna be loved, we all wanna be the best we can be. Mushy stuff like that. We crave connection. So I stay down here to bridge that gap between the underwater world and the land, tryin' to figure out a way for land critters and sea critters to connect with one another. When I first got here, though, some fish stared at me like I had five different heads. Had never seen a squirrel in their lives. To be fair, I stared at them like that, too, but I tried catchin' myself. Everyone else openly gawked at me, at my treedome. At the weird things, to them, that I need to survive, like oxygen. They got used to me and my antics, and I've gotten used to them and their antics. I like to think that we balance each other out, us sea critters and land critters.

"The more time I spend down here, the more I find myself fallin' in love with these fish. I see them almost as part of my family. Like they deserve better. That's why I invent all sorts o' crazy things like rockets and jetpacks to the moon and space. I wanna bring `em outta this world, to a world they've never seen before, connect `em with y'all humans and extraterrestrial life, `cause there's no way that we're the only species on this one planet in the entire, massive universe. I invent to make Bikini Bottom and the land and life better for everyone. One squirrel can't accomplish all that in her blip of a lifetime." She looked to the sky, clear and blue despite the smoky chaos below. "Hopefully, a li'l squirrel like me inspires others to invent and improve stuff and bring everyone together."

Makoto found herself gaping at the squirrel. Couldn't stop. Her drilled-in manners were screaming that she was being impolite, but her awe screamed louder.

"Now you're lookin' at me like I have five different heads. I know that was a lot, but ya might wanna close yer mouth before flies fly in. Ain't no flies in Bikini Bottom, but they always find a way into open mouths."

Makoto managed to shut her mouth. She hadn't expected this insight and humanity from a squirrel. This creature that scurried around, who she thought focused only on scrounging for and hoarding food.

"You're so selfless, Sandy. I wish I could be as selfless as you."

"You kiddin' me? You're selfless to a fault. I mean, you didn't want to talk about yourself until I forced you to. I know you wanna take care of everyone else, Makoto, and I do, too, but you gotta take some time for yourself. My mind works in a million ways, runs a million miles a minute, but I make myself relax and do mindless stuff, like think about Einstein's Theory of Relativity on my down time."

Makoto's expression blanked. "Yeah?" was all she could say.

"Oh, yeah, it's easy. See, when a proton—" She blinked at Makoto's clueless expression. "Never mind. Sorry, shouldn't have started on the borin' stuff."

"Yeah, erm, Ami and Setsuna are better with stuff like that. I can barely pass English."

"To be fair, English is hard."

A thought about the nonexistent language barrier landed in her mind. She waved it off. Didn't need anything else rattling her head.

"Point is, I worry and think a lot about other people and how to make their lives better, but I spend a lot of time on myself, too, `cause if I don't spend time on myself, then I won't have the brains or capacity to help others. Get what I'm sayin'?"

"Yeah, I got it." Being lectured by a squirrel. What was the world coming to?

"Anyway, I'd better follow my own advice and get some rest. Y'all should, too, `specially while we can."

"Right, we should." Makoto had been reduced to nearly one-word answers out of awe and exhaustion. Since she'd arrived in Bikini Bottom, she hadn't closed her eyes, and now the tiredness was crashing down.

Sandy was fascinating. At first, Makoto had thought she was (merely?) a smart and intelligent squirrel, especially to have built the treedome and know karate. Sandy had revealed her selflessness, her love, her caring nature, determination and focus on defeating the robots and the Dead Moon Circus.

Makoto stared at Sandy's back, the squirrel facing away. "Are you asleep?"

"About to." Sandy's voice was distant, a hallmark of balancing on the cusp between the world of the awake and the world of dreams.

"Thanks. For this talk. For being my friend."

"Shucks, gal. I should…thank…" She began snoring.

Makoto settled onto the bed. With Sandy beside her, the robots and the Dead Moon Circus no longer seemed to be mountains that were impossible to conquer. She let herself rest.


	47. The Narrow Path Forward

**Chapter Forty-seven: The Narrow Path Forward**

After a long struggle, Sandy fell asleep.

She had tried not to show how much the hallucination had affected her, pretending to fall asleep right away. Makoto had conked out as soon as Sandy finished blabbing her life story. The squirrel had never told SpongeBob or Patrick why she moved to Bikini Bottom. They hadn't had the insight to ask but, as their friend, she should've told them like she'd told Makoto.

Even if she told SpongeBob and Patrick, they couldn't relate like Makoto.

Makoto's perceptiveness and her ability to keep secrets made Sandy feel like she could tell Makoto anything, had finally found a confidante. Telling her sponsors about her life's intimacies would be awkward. The well-intentioned SpongeBob and Patrick often slipped. As soon as Sandy had told SpongeBob she came from Texas, the news spilled out. Granted, she serenaded the great state in front of everyone in Bikini Bottom. Regardless, SpongeBob wouldn't have been able to keep the news to himself.

Sandy's confessions to Makoto had lifted a weight heavier than a tractor-trailer from her shoulders, yet she didn't doze off for an eternity. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her mentors choking to death from her failed invention. Got to the point where she didn't want to blink.

If she couldn't sleep, then Dead Moon had won. No one beat Sandy Cheeks.

She coaxed herself into sleep, telling herself that her invention would never kill others in real life, that she'd never have a nightmare like that again.

Until she did.

Her mentors' faces turned blue, they grasped at their throats, they couldn't breathe, clawed at Sandy, trying to carve her from the inside out, rip her neck open so that she'd die the same slow death as they.

It was a dream; she had to wake herself up. She shook herself on the bed, tearing open her eyes, drenched in sweat, paws clammy. Makoto's forest-green eyes, the same color as the greenery in Texas, greeted her. Pitying her. The Guardian feeling like she'd failed Sandy. Knowing that Sandy had lied to make her feel better.

Sandy hadn't realized how deeply her nightmares pierced her until she tried to sleep. Even if she was aware of how badly she ached, maybe she still wouldn't have told Makoto.

Makoto didn't lecture her like Sandy had mounted her high horse. Only gathered Sandy into her arms and let Sandy cry.

Sandy had thought she needed words when all she needed was silence and a shoulder.

They stayed that way for a long time, Makoto's shoulder bleeding into darkness, until Michiru knocked on the door, telling them that it was time to go. Sandy opened her eyes, head leaden with grogginess.

Sandy had slept peacefully after all.

She and Makoto climbed down the tree, where the rest of the Guardians, SpongeBob, and Patrick were sprawled on the grass. Chibi-Usa yawned, and Hotaru yawned in turn. Then Setsuna yawned. A game of Follow the Leader but for yawning instead.

"I'd say, 'Good morning,'" Michiru said, "but it's only been a few hours. So if it feels like only a few hours have passed, it's because it's true."

Minako rubbed her eyes. "Feels like I slept for a grand total of two seconds."

"Better than no seconds." Bags hung under Rei's eyes. Looked more tired than she had before she'd slept.

Haruka smirked. "We look like hell."

SpongeBob jumped onto his feet, his shoes fluttering. Patrick stretched. Everyone but them seemed exhausted.

Plankton poked his head out of Patrick's pocket. "The good news for you but bad news for me is, you've eradicated most of the robots. We've made our way through most of Bikini Bottom in the process. We're getting closer to my Chum Bucket. There, I will put every single robot back under my dominion. But fear not. Your protecting me has granted you mercy. Therefore, I shall give you a generous five-second headstart to futilely try to escape before my robots zap you into oblivion."

"How generous," Rei said.

Sandy resisted the urge to cover her ears. "Goodness gracious. You don't seem tired at all, Plankton."

Hopping out of Patrick's pocket and walking to the polyurethane that domed Sandy's home, Plankton said, "The Chum Bucket is ahead, near Kelp Forest and the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard, where robots have surely taken over. Of course, you want to be goody-two-shoes and destroy all the robots, but it'd be easier if we destroyed the source first at my restaurant, before going to the Forest and the Graveyard."

"Your first idea that hints you're actually a genius." Minako clapped slowly. "Good job, Plankton."

"I always give genius-level ideas."

"Do you ever listen to yourself speak?"

"Who wouldn't? My voice is like a beautiful symphony."

"Your voice is more like nails on a chalkboard."

"No wonder you're an idiot. You don't listen to those smarter than you."

"If I listened to you, I'd lose I.Q. points."

Plankton reddened. "I bet you need all the I.Q. points you can get."

Ignoring their spat, Sandy eyed Michiru. Had the Guardian of the Deep Seas kept watch the entire time? Even though Michiru had her fancy powers, she was still human and needed rest.

Nevertheless, her aura hadn't diminished from tiredness. Nor did her voice lose its power, reverberating like a goddess that commanded obedience. "We should get going," Michiru said, her voice silencing Plankton. "As soon as possible."

"Agreed," Haruka said immediately. Sandy wasn't well-versed in love, especially between humans, but were they an item, or did Haruka always act whipped toward Michiru? Haruka didn't easily submit to the other Guardians.

Minako scowled. "Who made you the leader?"

Michiru leveled her eyes at Minako. "It was simply a suggestion. No need to get uptight."

She gestured toward the other Guardians. "I see that everyone's still tired. Except you, which is why you have no sympathy."

"I do have sympathy."

"You're not acting like it."

Her voice deepened, danger lurking, an undercurrent. "What do you want me to do, Minako?"

"I want you to be more considerate."

"We have to keep moving. If we don't, Bikini Bottom will be destroyed. Do you want a whole world's destruction on your shoulders?"

SpongeBob ran between them. "How about this? I'm not feeling too tired. How's about Plankton and I go to the Chum Bucket and see if we can get in while the rest of you get some more sleep? Then we can come back and report how things are out there. Maybe even stop more robots from being built."

Chibi-Usa let out a gargantuan yawn. "I agree with SpongeBob. We don't have to leave now." Tapped her fingers. "Sorry to sound like a little kid, complaining and everything, but, well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm so tired, I can barely move." She glanced at her blanched parents. Maybe she wanted to stay to keep an eye on them.

"If you do go out," Setsuna said, "then you'll have to be careful, SpongeBob."

SpongeBob saluted her. "Of course. I won't let the robots get the best of me."

"I mean, careful of Plankton."

Plankton's cheeks stretched with a grin. "Yes, fear me."

SpongeBob patted Plankton, replacing the smaller critter's laugh with, "D'oh, d'ooph, dumph."

"Don't worry," SpongeBob said. "He's done lots of things to me, but he's never been able to pry out the krabby patty secret formula. Besides, I've always come out in one piece after Plankton's through with me."

"That doesn't sound very reassuring," Rei muttered.

Patrick swiped Plankton into his pocket. "I'll go too. I'd never leave my master anywhere by himself. Oh, and you too, SpongeBob."

"Much appreciated," SpongeBob said. Hopefully, Sandy never treated SpongeBob as an afterthought. Maybe Patrick wielded the modicum of sense needed to protect SpongeBob from Plankton's schemes.

"You two don't seem tired at all." Minako still glared at Michiru. Angrier than a bull released from its pen, not looking at those she was addressing. Nor did Michiru break eye contact with Minako. "I think it's a great idea." Hardness laced her voice.

Makoto stiffened. "Not by yourselves, though. Not after—not by yourselves." She stood erect, trying not to show her exhaustion. Trying to be strong for everybody else when everybody else could take care of themselves.

Sandy was one to talk. She'd tried to hide her pain, too.

"Then I'll go with them." No way was Sandy letting these humans tire themselves more.

"Keep watch over your treedome," Makoto said. "I'll go with them."

"I will, too." Michiru didn't break her gaze from Minako. Goodness, were these girls furious with each other. And for what? Pride?

SpongeBob spread his arms. "It's settled, then." Looping his arm through Patrick's, SpongeBob skipped toward the door, Patrick in tow. "Return we shall." In unison, he and Patrick opened the door and sprung into the dangers of Bikini Bottom, tossing their helmets into the treedome's foyer, Michiru and Makoto close behind.

The door shut, echoing. Seeming final. Chibi-Usa jerked with the sound.

Silence drenched the treedome.

Chibi-Usa's eyes darted between each of her friends. "Somebody say something."

A smile snaked onto Minako's face. "Som—"

Chibi-Usa groaned. "Please don't be smart, Mina-chan." Minako's anger had left with Michiru. Or the Guardian was trying to calm herself by being goofy.

Sandy wasn't going to wrack her brain to figure out Michiru and Minako's…dynamics. She settled onto the grass, lay on her back, twined her hands behind her head. Nothing to do but wait.

* * *

SpongeBob ran toward the Chum Bucket. Had to fix things quickly so everyone could stop being sad.

Whatever was happening, his heart ached. Seemed to be a deeper backstory than the Guardians were letting on. The more time he spent around them, the more their problems and pasts came to the forefront. Everything had been hunky-dory until the Dead Moon Circus and the Outer Guardians arrived.

SpongeBob fell back, letting Patrick lead, Plankton's head bobbing with Patrick's footfalls. The sponge ran alongside Michiru and Makoto.

"I feel like there's a lot more going on that I don't know about," SpongeBob said.

For the umpteenth time, Michiru and Makoto exchanged looks.

"What are you guys thinking when you look at each other?"

"We said we'd stop doing that," Michiru said to Makoto, staring at her friend.

"Yes, we did." Makoto kept staring at Michiru.

They continued to stare at each other. Who would break first? If Johnny Elaine were here, he'd have a field day, saying that Michiru and Makoto were embroiled in one of the most intense staring contests on the planet, with sweat gathering on Makoto's brow, her mouth twitching, Michiru's flawless stoicism.

Makoto looked forward. Johnny Elaine would exclaim, "Oooh! A devastating loss for the green lady. Wounded pride, wounded win/loss record. Wounded like a hurt animal."

"There _is_ a lot that's going on behind the scenes, SpongeBob," Michiru said, "and we're sorry for not telling you, Patrick, or Sandy about any of it. We dropped in your home and brought our enemies, who wound up being more destructive than the robots, but didn't let you know why."

"And then we're confused when you all aren't sympathetic with us," Makoto said. "Or, even worse, we don't tell you because we don't expect you to understand."

Michiru looked squarely at Makoto. Makoto bit her lip.

"Am I making you uncomfortable, Makoto?"

Makoto coughed lightly. "Not at all. I'm sorry for interrupting. Go on, Michiru-san."

"Thank you."

SpongeBob would've interrupted too. He thought she was done talking. "See, there's another thing I don't understand. The way you guys talk to each other. I know you knew each other before you came down here, but I feel like I'm the third wheel."

Makoto winced. Michiru pursed her lips, her glow unsettling.

"It's like you guys have a bunch of inside jokes that I'll never understand."

Eyebrows tented, Makoto looked at Michiru, waiting for the older Guardian to speak first. Did they have some sort of mentor and mentee relationship?

"I don't understand this silence, either. It's making me think you're trying to hide something from me."

Makoto worked her mouth.

"You look desperate, Makoto," Michiru said. "You go ahead first. No need to be afraid of me."

Makoto flushed. "I was thinking that, well, I'm sorry, SpongeBob. The whole time we've been here, we've been working together with you, Patrick, Sandy, and even Plankton to an extent, but we haven't told you anything, just that we're Guardians and have powers, because we didn't think telling you anything else was necessary. But I'm starting to think that it is. We can't fight as a team and defeat the robots and the Dead Moon Circus if we can't trust each other with everything, and that starts with telling each other everything. I've been feeling the divide too, especially once the Outer Guardians and the Dead Moon Circus came. It's felt like we're on two different teams. We all have the same goal, but you don't understand why we have to defeat the Dead Moon Circus. I can only speak for myself, but I never told you much because I was afraid that you'd get confused. If there's this divide between us, then we won't work well enough to defeat our enemies. Becoming a Guardian has taught me that part of teamwork is knowing each other thoroughly, down to our favorite foods."

Patrick whipped around. "What food?"

"Maybe not that detailed," Michiru said.

"Right." The redness in Makoto's cheeks spread to her neck. "Anyway, like I was saying…" Patrick kept looking. "There's no food, Patrick."

"Then why'd you say it?"

"It was an example. That's all."

He shook his fist. "The name of food should never be taken in vain." He kept running ahead.

"Like we're separating ourselves from Patrick." Makoto gestured toward herself. "Patrick, come back here for a second. You need to hear this, too."

Patrick did, matching his pace to SpongeBob's and the Guardians', smiling lazily, his outrage at the lack of food forgotten.

"From now on, we're going to tell you everything." Makoto's eyes grew distant. "Everything starts with our past lives."

Makoto and Michiru told the most fantastic tale SpongeBob had heard. More fantastic than Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's origin story. Past lives, kingdoms, princesses, queens, a story brimming with amazingness.

It started with a queen of the moon who had a daughter, the Moon Princess. The princess fell in love with a prince on the earth. Because they hailed from different planets, their love was forbidden. They perished from an attack from the Dark Kingdom, led by the queen of the Dark Kingdom, another part of the universe. Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, who were princesses of the other planets, died trying to protect them. Centuries later, the Guardians were reincarnated on modern-day earth to fulfill their destinies of ruling the Moon Kingdom, leading it in peace and prosperity.

Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus existed to protect their princess, Sailor Moon. The Outer Guardians were tasked with protecting Sailor Moon and the Moon Kingdom from outside forces.

"But Chibi-Usa's as important as Sailor Moon," SpongeBob said, "being the princess of the princess. Shouldn't she have her own guardians, too?"

Michiru cupped her chin. "That does make sense. I haven't picked up on anything suggesting that she has her own protectors."

"It'd be great if she did. She felt unimportant in the Mermalair, even though she's anything but. We wouldn't have made it this far without her."

They told the sea creatures about their defeated enemies, how the gravely ill Hotaru had been experimented on by her father. A chill rocked SpongeBob. She'd been quiet in the Mermalair, not because she was awed by its greatness, but because it reminded her of a traumatic experience. If SpongeBob had known, he would've dissuaded her from coming. Nevertheless, she'd conquered her fears to save the Mermalair.

Which brought them to the Dead Moon Circus. The Guardians weren't sure how the Dead Moon was related to them, why Dead Moon pursued annihilation of the Guardians and the Moon Kingdom.

Patrick picked above his lip, where his nose would be if he had one. "Maybe it's because you guys keep gettin' in their way."

Michiru looked down at Patrick. "Maybe," she said quietly.

"With how discombobulated everything is," SpongeBob said, "that's too simple of an explanation. See, the rest of their enemies had something against the Guardians. So the Dead Moon Circus probably has something against them, too, because the Guardians did something to them, real or imagined. They did mention that Usagi sealed their queen."

"Likely imagined," Makoto said, "to make PallaPalla and her sisters feel like they're on the right side. Seriously, it's like, these bad guys come out of nowhere, and they're from our past lives, and we don't remember them, but they remember us, and they carry their grudge millennia later. It's uncanny. And then they hate us more when we say we don't remember them. Patrick, you're not wrong, though. We're their enemies simply because we keep them from taking over the universe. Now, normally, I'd have no issue with anyone taking over the universe, but they want to do very bad things with the universe, like destroying earth, enslaving humans, terrible things like that."

"The fact that they've come underwater worries me more," Michiru said. "This is the first time they've ever tried taking over another part of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if future enemies decided to take over the world starting literally from the ground up."

SpongeBob placed a hand on his chest. "Why us? What'd we ever do to them?"

"Nothing. They see you as assets." She looked SpongeBob up and down. "I don't blame them. You're so humanlike that they think that they could turn you against us, that if they can control you, they can control the land, too. The more creatures they get on their side, the easier it'll be to defeat us and take over the universe."

"I'd never turn against you." Tears burned SpongeBob's eyes. "I'm your friend."

Michiru's eyes softened. The first time Michiru had shown softness toward him. "I wouldn't count on it, SpongeBob. You never know what could happen. I've learned many things as a Guardian, not the least of which is that anything can happen to anyone at any time. We have to stay on guard. We could be attacked unawares, manipulated and controlled to do our enemies' bidding."

SpongeBob's mouth parted. The tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Michiru-san, you're being too harsh on him."

"We have to tell them the hard realities of our lives that they're now wrapped up in, Makoto, not hold anything back like we were before. Besides, we're a team. They don't have to handle our mess on their own."

While burdens and worry and fear crushed SpongeBob, Patrick hadn't skipped a beat, eyes half-lidded like he was bored. How could he remain calm? Or had their explanation grown so convoluted that he checked out?

"Did you hear all that, Patrick?" SpongeBob sniffed.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, about the tapioca and the giant monkey man?"

Had he visited another planet while they were talking? "No, about the Guardians."

"Oh. Yeah, I did."

"What do you think?"

Patrick began to drool. "Uuuuhhh…" The Guardians' past was so depressing and complicated, the starfish didn't know what to think.

"He gets like this only when he's trying to decide what to order from the Krusty Krab." SpongeBob sighed. "Alas, `tis tough to decide which krabby patty to order."

"Our past lives are being equated to a fast food restaurant," Michiru said.

"Patrick, you have to have some opinion about what we said," Makoto said, the starfish still uh-ing.

Patrick shrugged. "I don't really understand it. Ever since you humans got here, everything's got confusing. I mean, you brought all sorts of people down here. And all of them are weird."

SpongeBob gasped. "Patrick. That's rude. Take that back right now."

"My minion has the right idea."

Michiru shot a glare at Plankton. The creature shrunk.

Makoto crossed her arms. "What's your superior opinion?" she said to Plankton.

Plankton straightened. "Well, if you insist, I shall bless you with my wisdom. Listening to all your problems, it seems as though they're awfully complicated. So complicated that not even my minion could understand it. Not that he understands much."

She narrowed her eyes. "Insulting him right to his face…"

Patrick kept grinning ahead.

"See that grin?" Plankton said. "My minion doesn't understand, nor does he care. Anyhow, before you rudely interrupted me, I was going to say that it seems like you should just blast your enemies away."

"We were," Makoto said. "Usagi-chan tried but wasn't successful. Now, things are more complicated."

"She's right, Plankton," SpongeBob said. "I don't quite understand everything, either, but the solution is much more than vaporizing them. Their enemies— _our_ enemies—could be connected to the Guardians' past lives. So we need to figure out how." He looked to Michiru and Makoto. "If I'm understanding correctly."

Michiru smiled softly.

Makoto winked. "You are." Her expression hardened. "They hold a key to our past lives that we have to find out about."

SpongeBob looked ahead. The Guardians' history was deep, rich, multilayered, and they'd just tapped the surface. If only SpongeBob could travel back in time, see what life was like for these Guardians centuries ago.

Would SpongeBob live that long enough to see the Guardians live in the thirtieth century, when they were destined to reign once more?

His bottom lip quivered, and fresh tears filled his eyes. "I wish I could live to see you guys take over the world."

Plankton shuddered. "Yuck. You want these goody-two-shoe cretins to take over the universe?" He snorted. "I'd do a much better job."

For once, SpongeBob barely heard the loud Plankton. The Guardians could live almost forever. SpongeBob wouldn't get to see his friends restore the world, rule it passionately and with heart and love, end wars and bring peace.

Once they returned to the surface, SpongeBob might not see them again.

His heart sank. Had to be able to see them somehow.

He peered up at Makoto and Michiru. "Can you two promise me something?"

"Anything," Makoto said as Michiru said, "We'll see. It depends on what it is."

Brushing aside their conflicting answers, SpongeBob pressed on. "Promise me that you'll come back and visit once this is all over. Maybe we can come visit you up there. I mean, you've spent so much time down here, I hope you guys feel like it's your second home. Because you're welcome here anytime, no matter what happens, even if Bikini Bottom is destroyed because of the robots and the Dead Moon Circus. You'll always be my heroes."

Makoto slowed, stopped. SpongeBob stopped, and the rest of the group stopped in turn.

Makoto crouched to SpongeBob's level. "SpongeBob, that's so sweet of you. You'll always be my optimistic, brave hero and, more importantly, my friend."

SpongeBob could only nod, wipe the tears from his eyes.

The glow around Michiru intensified, and her eyes became brighter, more piercing, like they could see into SpongeBob's soul. "I command the seas." Michiru's voice took on a godlike quality.

The sky growled. A warning.

"Doesn't sound like King Neptune's thrilled to hear that." Plankton ducked into Patrick's pocket, his antennae twitching like a radar trying to detect the god.

"I am not afraid of this god," Sailor Neptune said. "Since I command the seas, I will not let anything happen to you or anyone else. My job is to protect and represent your home. I'll return to this world frequently to protect you. And to see you as your friends, SpongeBob, Patrick. I'll always protect this world. I'll never forget or forsake this world. I'll always have you on my mind."

Around Michiru, instead of slightly uncomfortable, SpongeBob felt…safe. More awed than he was before.

"She's acting more like a god than King Neptune ever has," Plankton mumbled.

The sky's growl broke into a rumble. Lightning split the sky, struck Plankton alone, frying him to black.

"He looks as crisp as bacon," Patrick said.

Michiru eyed the sky. "I'm guessing that was a message from this world's god."

"Surprised he hasn't appeared yet," Makoto said. "Especially since you declared yourself this world's goddess, Michiru-san."

"Not in those words, but yes, basically I did."

"Not even denying it."

"He wields no power over me."

Darkness crashed into Bikini Bottom. Other fish looked around, and a group of Fodders stopped spray painting graffiti on the Krusty Krab's wall that said, "Loserdz were here!" and turned their attention to the sky.

"Is this one of those solar eclipse things that Sandy talks about?" A shudder rocked Patrick. "It's so dark. I don't wanna be in the dark." He clung to Michiru's leg. Sailor Neptune's frown deepened.

Above, water etched into the shape of King Neptune and then shimmered, materializing into the god himself, arms crossed, in all his muscly, golden, kingly glory, stealing SpongeBob's breath. King Neptune was always majestic.

"Who proclaims to be as powerful as I?" King Neptune roared. SpongeBob wanted to run but stay at the same time, King Neptune's power freezing the sponge in fear and reverence.

As if not expecting an answer, the god snarled at Sailor Neptune. "Do you dare answer me?" Electricity sparked around the god. "Or will you stand dumbly until I electrocute you?"

"I'll answer." The power of Sailor Neptune's voice matched King Neptune's. "I declared to be as powerful as you. I am the Guardian of the Deep Seas, Sailor Neptune. I protect you and your sea creatures from harm."

"Protect _me_?" Sailor Neptune laughed, quaking the world. SpongeBob nearly fell. "A puny human like you? You don't carry a tenth of my power."

"So you think."

King Neptune's eyes knifed. "Watch yourself." Electricity sparked on his finger. "It's already blasphemous that you share part of my name."

"This is the name that was given to me from the planet I also protect, Neptune."

"Still, others will confuse me with a mere human." The electricity on his finger grew. "With all these fish around, I must reassert my superiority."

The sponge scrambled in front of Sailor Neptune, unsure if he had the capability to protect the Guardian, but willing to try. "Please, Your Godliness, don't hurt her."

King Neptune raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. 'She knows not what she speaks of'?"

"Well, yes, that."

Michiru's expression darkened.

"I mean, no, not this time."

"She knows perfectly well that she's provoking and defying a god?" King Neptune said.

"I do." Even though Michiru said the words quietly, her voice reverberated. She was endangering herself more than Patrick and his ignorance ever could. Worse, Michiru knew what she was doing.

King Neptune's lips were pressed in a line. The electricity jumped from one finger to the next. Like it was alive.

The electricity grew a head and started chomping the air. It _was_ alive.

King Neptune boomed out a louder laugh. SpongeBob, Patrick, and Makoto staggered, but Michiru stood her ground, planted as firmly as Sandy's oak tree.

"All right, then." King Neptune crossed his arms once more, the electricity dancing upon his knuckles. "If you're confident that you're more powerful than I, then _you_ be the god of Bikini Bottom."

"I protect the seas already," Michiru said. "It won't be difficult for me."

SpongeBob covered his mouth. "Michiru." He couldn't tell whether she was haughty or confident.

"Oh ho." King Neptune laughed louder. "A live one, you are, without the likeability of my much lowlier colleague, SpongeBob here."

Warmth spread through SpongeBob. Who was he to earn the honor of being the colleague of a god?

He kept silent. The moment was so tense that SpongeBob didn't want to interrupt.

Patrick honked out a snore.

Electricity darted to Patrick, and the starfish flashed pink, red, black, white, neon blue.

"A light show for those who don't believe I'm as powerful as I say I am." He pressed his face to Patrick. "Am I boring you, starfish?"

Patrick collapsed onto his back. "Yes."

Another shock eradicated Patrick into a black stain upon the sand. "Am I still?"

"Not, not anymore," Patrick's stain said. Had Plankton been fried into a stain right along with the starfish?

King Neptune nodded. "Satisfactory." He straightened. "As I was saying. So-called Sailor Neptune, I grant you authority and rulership over all of Bikini Bottom. Except with one caveat—no defeating the robots all at once." His eyes grew almost soft. "I want you to keep showing me…" He jerked, as though catching himself, and glared at the group. "I shall be watching from afar. Take as good care of Bikini Bottom as I do, or else I shall destroy you myself and prove, once and for all, that I am Bikini Bottom's one true god." The god spread his arms. The world flashed several times, King Neptune disappearing.

Gaping, SpongeBob waved at the sky. "Always a pleasure to see you too, King Neptune."

"Not for me," came Plankton's muffled voice.

"Thank you, young sponge," King Neptune said from his throne in Atlantis.

SpongeBob's eyes twinkled. "That proves that he really is watching from afar."

Sailor Neptune glowered at the spot where King Neptune had disappeared.

"He doesn't take good care of Bikini Bottom," Makoto whispered, "so taking care of this place better than him should be easy. Besides, if he did care for Bikini Bottom, he would've destroyed the robots. He said something about us showing him something back when we defeated the Sandy robot, but I'm not understanding what we're showing him and how what we're showing him is more important than protecting Bikini Bottom. So not as much pressure as you think."

"No, more pressure than I think, especially since King Neptune wasn't taking great care of Bikini Bottom in the first place." The glow around Michiru brightened. "Because now, I have to show the sea creatures what it's like to have someone genuinely care for them and clean up King Neptune's mess."

"I'll let your insulting me slide," King Neptune said, invisible, remaining in Atlantis. "You'd better be thankful that I have tasked you with a great, enormous job. If not, then I would electrocute you into the example beside you."

Patrick and Plankton remained steaming black patches.

"Uh, Your Godliness," SpongeBob called, "can you please put them back the way they were?"

The sky harrumphed, the world flashed, and Patrick was standing, Plankton peeking out of his pocket, both intact.

Plankton's eye watered. "Why was I shocked? I didn't do anything."

Michiru remained grave, as though ruling over Bikini Bottom was already weighing on her. Most sea creatures probably didn't know that she was the new ruler of Bikini Bottom. Not that many of them were aware that King Neptune was supposed to be caring for them.

The group hadn't reached the Chum Bucket, but what they had to do next was already burdening them. Whether they destroyed the robots' source or not, the group had to explore and eradicate the rest of the robots. Possibly return to places they had already been in, in case the robots had retaken those areas.

Not to mention the Dead Moon Circus prowled about.

Plus, King Neptune had tasked Michiru with lording over Bikini Bottom.

Suddenly, everything seemed more complicated, couldn't be uncomplicated with the wave of a bubble wand.

Ahead, the Chum Bucket loomed larger than it ever had. Dread settled in SpongeBob's stomach.

He did not feel ready.


	48. Unquenchable

**Chapter Forty-eight: Unquenchable**

Once King Neptune had bestowed godhood upon Michiru, the Guardian of the Deep Seas gained insight. She couldn't read minds like she thought gods could, but she was aware of the presence of every living being under the sea, from snails to sharks.

Happened to think about Mrs. Puff. An image of Mrs. Puff appeared in her mind, the pufferfish standing in Rock Bottom Museum, gazing at the paintings that the Guardians had returned.

Curious.

She thought of Haruka. An image of her girlfriend appeared, sleeping upright against the polyurethane, alert and ready to fight even in sleep. In the background, Minako lay, sprawled, on the grass, mouth agape, snoring lightly. In contrast, Rei lay beside her, arms tucked at her sides, mouth closed, sleeping silently. All looked younger than when they were awake, the burdens of being Guardians forgotten while under the peace of sleep.

When she thought of people, she could see them, but not the robots, perhaps because they weren't conscious beings with hearts and minds. Regardless, her newfound power would be helpful in tracking down her friends and allies.

What would happen to the rest of her friends once they separated into different areas?

Images, like movies, crashed into Michiru's mind, but she could see and absorb every one of them simultaneously. In one movie, parts of the group had separated into Kelp Forest and the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard. Others slept in the middle of a circle of rocks, nothing but the sky protecting them. What were Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, Mamoru, SpongeBob, Plankton, and Michiru, of all people, doing? If Michiru was sleeping, vulnerable, primed for robots to attack them, then there must be a good reason, unless Michiru had gained the ability to guard others while asleep. Or the Dead Moon Circus had forced them to sleep, trying to break them using nightmares. Had to remain vigilant.

Even though she could see the sleeping group, she couldn't read their minds to figure out why they slept, what they dreamed about. Couldn't read even her future self's mind.

In another scenario, Makoto bounded through Kelp Forest, alongside Ami and SpongeBob. Weren't Makoto and SpongeBob sleeping in the first scenario? Michiru must be seeing all the future's possibilities.

She was running alongside her friends but seeing the future at the same time. By the way her friends kept looking ahead, her expression didn't betray what she was watching.

Michiru could watch each scenario all day, every day. She turned her mind toward the Chum Bucket, where the source of their issues, the Duplicatotron 3000, was housed.

In one scenario, Sailor Neptune destroyed the Duplicatotron. The Guardians eradicated the rest of the robots and then finished the Dead Moon Circus. Bid goodbye to the sea creatures and returned to Japan. The ideal ending.

In another, the robots overtook the group, drowning the Sailor Team, Makoto's hand reaching out of the swath of robots. They were surrounded by and would perish from the electricity. A scenario that, with her powers, should be nigh impossible.

The last scenario was…

Michiru wasn't one to run away from her problems, but she would not let that happen. The first scenario, the happily-ever-after, would come to pass.

The fact that she'd seen the worst one meant that Michiru, as calm and level-headed as she believed she was, could succumb to emotions.

In the scenario, her expression had been fierce. Focused. What had she been thinking?

She would never know, because she would not let it happen.

She, SpongeBob, Patrick, Plankton, and Makoto continued toward the Chum Bucket. Poking his head out of Patrick's pocket, Plankton kept his eyes fixed on the steel, bucket-shaped building.

Muttering, "Karen."

Michiru asked who Karen was, but Plankton declared that it was none of her business.

"It is our business." Michiru didn't want to wield her power over him. Unlike King Neptune, who reduced everyone to caricatures that existed only to worship him. Michiru wanted a relationship with each of the creatures in Bikini Bottom, under the sea. "After all, Karen could have been caught in the crossfire of these robots."

Plankton cringed. "I know." His voice was soft, delicate.

"You were saying her name when we first met you," Makoto said. "It's time you let us know who she is."

Plankton scowled. "Fine. If you must know, she's my W.I.F.E. A computer, stationary and exposed to anything these robots or _your_ enemies might throw at her."

Makoto's eyebrows shot up. "You _built_ a wife?"

Michiru narrowed her eyes. "Makoto…" The younger Guardian shouldn't have interrupted with ignorant words, especially when such a sensitive topic arose. Building a wife was bizarre, though. Things like that didn't happen in Japan, an island full of weirdness. Although Japanese technology was booming, no lonely bachelor had built a wife. Yet.

A flush blossomed on Makoto's cheeks. "I'm sorry, Plankton. I didn't mean—"

Plankton waved Makoto away. "Go ahead and insult me like everyone else does. I'm used to it by now."

She shrunk, opened her mouth and then closed it. No words could remedy her gut reaction.

"When the robots took over the Chum Bucket, they kicked me out, too. They might hack into Karen and turn her into someone she's not." Plankton balled his hands. "I can't let them do what they want with her." His eye became glossy, filling with tears. "Even worse, they could purge her memories, make her forget that she was ever my wife." He wiped his eye furiously. "Karen, she's all I have. They can't take her, too." His voice cracked.

Once the robots and the Dead Moon Circus were defeated, Plankton would be alone once more. His loneliness had to be the reason why he'd built a wife in the first place.

Plankton was the way he was because he was lonely. Maybe part of his loneliness was his own fault, separating himself from society, obsessed with stealing the krabby patty secret formula. But something other than ruthless ambition dwelled within. Something…human.

Hopefully, Michiru wouldn't be the cause of—

Couldn't think about it. Had to excel and conquer.

Plankton tightened his grip on Patrick's pocket. "First, they stole the Chum Bucket. Second, my chances of stealing the secret formula. Third, possibly Karen. Most importantly, Karen."

"Oh, Plankton, that's so sad." SpongeBob whipped out a handkerchief from his pocket and blew his nose, a trumpet blast echoing, several fish glaring at SpongeBob, some robots startling. "We shall avenge Karen, no matter what's happened to her."

They arrived at the Chum Bucket. On Plankton's command, Patrick pulled the door's handle. The door didn't budge. He tugged the handle several times, but to no avail.

"Locked." Plankton grit his teeth. "Dastardly robots are smarter than they seem to be. I made them geniuses, but not as smart as I." He pointed to the door. "I command you to break down that door by any means necessary."

Patrick took several steps back, aiming his shoulder at the door. "Aye-aye, boss."

Michiru drew on the sea. "Patrick, wait." The sea swirled about her. A good time to practice wielding the sea with her godhood so she wouldn't be the cause. "I'll break down the door." Roaring, the sea hurtled forward, crashed into the Chum Bucket's door. The sea nearly bombarded the Chum Bucket, but Michiru reigned the sea in, and it settled.

She had control.

After drawing on the sea so many times, she no longer grew tired. She smiled from the high of using the sea's unlimited power.

She had to keep control. Her vision could not come to pass.

Plankton jumped out of Patrick's pocket and rushed inside his restaurant and home. The obedient, excited Patrick hurried after him, SpongeBob on Patrick's heels. Makoto and Michiru ran inside.

The Chum Bucket was covered in whiteness, no plants or paint coloring the dining area. Steel chairs and tables were dotted about. No pictures hung on the wall. A lonely window hung in the corner, far from the tables. Not an inviting, homey place for anyone to dine. Perhaps fish didn't much care about restaurants' atmospheres as long as the food was delicious. Since the Chum Bucket never had customers, the food must be subpar, too.

On her way toward the double doors ahead, the menu caught Michiru's eye. The Chum Bucket served chum, chum, and more chum. From Chumbalaya, to chum puddles—eating a puddle?—to chum cake, the Chum Bucket served any food and stuffed chum inside. Whatever chum was. Michiru wasn't chomping at the bit to taste it.

Plankton dashed through the second set of double doors, into a laboratory filled with clanking machines that looked like wine presses, primed to crush anyone who dare venture near them. One screen showed a Labrador Retriever barking and panting. A contrast to killing machines, perhaps to make victims feel warm and fuzzy before being flattened.

A giant Duplicatatron was erect in a corner.

Its switch was set to, "Not Obey."

No wonder the robots weren't obeying Plankton.

Instead of the D3000, Plankton scurried toward a computer standing at one side of the wall. "Karen. Karen, they haven't gotten you, have they?" He shook his head. "Of course not. I installed so many failsafes on you, you should be fine." Didn't sound as convinced of his genius as usual.

The screen was blank.

"Please, say something." Plankton ran to the front of the monitor, reached toward a button. The screen flickered on, a line running across it, like a heart monitor in a hospital.

"Don't touch me," she said. Plankton flinched. "He'll become angry, and I don't want him to hurt you."

Plankton cracked his knuckles. "Who is he? Tell me, and I'll rip him limb from limb."

"You're lucky he's in the bathroom right now. Quickly, you have to destroy the Duplicatotron. That's the only way he has power."

He bit his lip. "But, but, it's the only way I can steal the secret formula."

"No, it's not. I tease you a lot, Sheldon, but I believe in you. I know you can think of another way. That Duplicatotron has made him too strong, and he'll do worse than steal the krabby patty secret formula."

Regardless of Plankton's reservations, the source of their problems was standing in front of them. Apt to be destroyed.

Tuning out the rest of Karen and Plankton's conversation, Michiru drew on the sea's power, facing the Duplicatotron. The sea filled her, thundering in her ears, the high sweeping in. She aimed the palms of her hands toward the D3000.

Maybe she hadn't amassed enough of the sea to destroy the machine. Maybe she wanted to use more of it because she pined for more of the elation of being the most powerful being in the world.

She wasn't selfish. Needed more only because of the D3000's mountainous size. Closing her eyes, she willed more of the sea from the outside.

The Duplicatotron quaked and smoked. Robots pumped out of its funnel. Michiru would need more of the sea to destroy those robots, too.

Her brow creased in concentration; couldn't lose control. The rest of the world faded as she gathered more power.

For some reason, more of the sea wasn't coming.

"Michiru-san, what's going on?" Makoto said.

Outside, the sea bellowed. A boom buffeted the Chum Bucket. Michiru's eyes widened. The sea _had_ been coming, but she had been rallying so much power that it took a while for it to come. Now it was here, making its presence known, almost knocking the Chum Bucket off its foundation.

The power swelled around her.

 _I am a goddess._

She couldn't let her power get to her head. But by the way the Chum Bucket rocked, she'd lost control.

Sensing the urgency of her thoughts, the sea was coming to her in any way necessary, no matter who or what blocked its way. She tried to steer the sea to break through the double doors instead, minimize the damage.

The Chum Bucket lurched.

Plankton hollered. "What are you doing? Don't take the Chum Bucket away from me, too." A new pain laced his voice. Whatever had happened between him and his wife, she wouldn't cause him more anguish.

She drew back her hands, called back the power. The windows shattered, and the sea burst through, smashing through tables, chairs, computers, robots, the Labrador, cutting off the picture of it playing with a chew toy, being gentle enough to not shred it.

The sea raged around everyone. SpongeBob was screaming, and Patrick was screaming because SpongeBob was. Makoto tensed, arms spread, electricity crackling at her fingertips. Her attacks were storm-based, only complement the unruly sea.

"Everyone, run." Michiru's eyes watered. Was she crying, or was the wind from the raging sea making her tear up? "I can't, I can't control my powers."

It was happening.

Makoto sprinted, snatching Plankton, who reached for Karen, howling as his wife screamed like a human. Makoto swept up SpongeBob and Patrick, carried them in the crook of her elbow. She took to the air, swerving to dodge the sea.

She stopped above Michiru. "Michiru-san, what about you?"

Michiru had to be destroying the D3000. That part of her vision must be right. "I-I'll figure out how to stop it. Just go." Couldn't drag them into her mess.

Makoto worked her mouth.

"Go," Michiru barked. "You can't do anything. Your powers will only amplify mine."

Makoto stared at Michiru, eyebrows arched. SpongeBob had managed to open his eyes, knuckles white against his bubble wand. Patrick kept hollering. Plankton screamed for his now unresponsive wife.

The sea struck toward Makoto. The Guardian dodged and then flew toward the exit, not daring to risk SpongeBob's, Patrick's, or Plankton's lives.

She was gone. Leaving Michiru to deal with the consequences of her hunger for power.

Once more, she tried to suck in the sea. Like a horse whose reins had been pulled, the sea reared back, but parts still raged.

Shouldn't she have heard the D3000 explode? She couldn't stay and make sure it'd been obliterated, or the Chum Bucket would be destroyed.

She backed toward the door. The sea wasn't calming fast enough. But it followed her.

It reacted based on her emotions, her panic. She let out a breath, steadied herself. The sea slowed but kept raging, like it had cooled from a tsunami to a large wave. She drew back the power, and the sea grew slower. Almost there.

The robots' screams had died down. Either destroyed or Michiru had lulled the sea enough that the robots were no longer in danger.

The sea hovered around her. Watching her. Waiting for her.

Controlled.

As she backed out of the restaurant, the sea followed her, settling into where it had been before she'd tried to wield it.

Michiru stood outside the Chum Bucket, not daring to go back inside. What if she somehow drew on the sea again, demolishing the restaurant's shambles?

Through the doorway, fallen chunks of the robots and shattered glass covered the floor. Cabinets swung off their hinges. Chum slopped in steaming piles.

Remnants of a computer were scattered about.

She couldn't be fearful forever. Michiru rushed inside the laboratory. The Duplicatotron was gone but, unlike the computer, none of its remains had spilled throughout. Instead, a note lay in its place. Michiru picked it up. Written in blocky, precise handwriting was:

 _Nice try._

No signature. Nothing indicating who had written it. Consumed by her transgression, Michiru couldn't speculate who the culprit was.

Michiru couldn't ask Karen. The computer's screen was shattered.

Plankton had begged her not to take anything else away from him.

On her first day as the new goddess of Bikini Bottom, Michiru had devastated someone's life.


	49. Black on Power

**Chapter Forty-nine: Black on Power**

Despite the human's idiocy of destroying most of his Chum Bucket, Karen filled Plankton's mind.

When they'd arrived in the Chum Bucket, Plankton had called Karen's name, but she hadn't responded, her screen blank like someone had turned her off. Usually, she would greet him with some snide comment, like, "Oh, Plankton, is that you? I didn't see you under today's failure." According to her, Plankton always returned having failed at something, whether he had tried for the one-millionth, seven-hundred thousandth, two hundred and thirty-second time to steal the krabby patty secret formula (Plankton kept a tally board above his bed as motivation) or had failed to walk through Bikini Bottom without being stepped on with a _crunch_.

She loved him in her own way. Maybe. Perhaps she put up with him because she was stationary and had no choice. Perhaps Plankton tolerated her because she was all he had, although he could reprogram her to be nicer. But he loved Karen, snark and all.

Which was why Plankton had run straight to his W.I.F.E. instead of setting the D3000 to "Obey." Before he could power her on, she flickered on. They'd had a brief conversation, Plankton warming at her belief in him; made one person out of however many lived in Bikini Bottom.

Her screen had blanked again. A red line etched onto her screen, not the usual green. Someone else had powered her on. His heart began to sink.

She had said, "Who the heck are you?"

The sounds of the robots, the roaring sea approaching his restaurant, the clunking D3000 drowned out. Plankton's vision tunneled so he could see only Karen. "Why?" he said, nearly breathless. She'd forgotten the first face she'd seen every day for the past twenty years.

Who'd hacked her? How? Before he could take Karen apart to restore her to the one he loved, the sea slammed into his restaurant, and Plankton's world collapsed into shambles.

When Plankton had been flying with Makoto, Patrick, and SpongeBob, stashed inside of Patrick's pocket, he'd watched the sea engulf his Chum Bucket, demolishing it from the inside. All his effort to build an empire over decades, destroyed in an instant by an airheaded, arrogant woman who couldn't control her powers.

Plankton had been arrogant, too. He had no right to complain about others after what he'd done.

He wanted to bury himself in a hole but felt compelled to watch his life, the Chum Bucket and Karen, ruined.

His vision blurred. When had he last cried?

Makoto stood on the ground. Sometime, they'd landed.

She took Plankton by the hand, tugged him out of Patrick's pocket, and embraced him.

The tears poured. Why was she being nice to a headache like him, someone who had hurt others because of his obsession with success?

Plankton managed to peer up at Makoto. She smiled at him.

His pride implored him to push away from her. His neediness begged him to hug her more tightly. Everything else that he'd held to—his restaurant, his chum, his plans, his laboratory, Karen—was gone.

Another force from behind. Yellow. SpongeBob.

Yet another, almost crushing. Pink. Patrick.

They were here for him. Regardless of his attempts to control them. Regardless of his countless mistakes. They still showed him…what was this? Whatever it was, it was warm, safe, unconditional, patient, kind, didn't hold the grudge of what he'd done. Saw him as someone with emotions and needs, not trying to get anything out of him.

Plankton liked this thing. Maybe he should treat Karen like this, and then, without reprogramming, she'd start treating him like this, too.

Treating people kindly. A radical idea.

No, what these cretins were giving him was more than kindness.

Plankton could control others through this greater-than-kindness thing. Brilliant. Once he started scratching their backs, they'd scratch his.

Treating them kindly to get something in return didn't seem right anymore. Not after receiving what these humans and sea creatures were showing him. Something more than mere hugs and kindness.

The sea stopped roaring. The heap of the Chum Bucket was still.

A silhouette, shrouded by smoke billowing from the Chum Bucket's broken doorway and windows, moved forward, lightened into a stone-faced Michiru.

Plankton jumped out of Makoto's arms, the warmth forgotten. He charged toward Michiru. "You flooded my Chum Bucket."

Michiru's eyes followed Plankton, and her eyebrows arched ever so slightly.

"I demand an explanation for this. Or do you not have one? Or is your explanation that you wanted to destroy something of mine to punish me?"

Michiru shook her head. "I'm sorry, Plankton. I thought I could control my powers. But I couldn't, and I destroyed too much."

"Too much?" Balling his hands, he ground out, "What happened to Karen?"

She rubbed her arm, like it was in more pain than Plankton was, than what Plankton was about to endure. "I…I destroyed her, too."

The world unplugged, like someone had unplugged a television, and grew fuzzy. No thoughts ran through Plankton's mind, but a heaviness threatened to bury him. Perhaps being buried and never coming up would be best.

Some might believe that Plankton should be relieved that his wife had been destroyed so she couldn't tease him anymore. Others might say that he could build another Karen. But Karen was irreplaceable. Had taken Plankton years to build her. In addition to building the hardware and software from scratch, he had to create and install a unique personality. He'd coded software, parsing together different personalities that he'd seen and liked, some he didn't like, made sure that she could keep up with his genius. And Karen was born.

He had a backup, though, in his pocket at all times. His heart lifted. How could he have forgotten?

He started toward the Chum Bucket, but Michiru grabbed him. Curse his size.

"I can't let you go in there."

Plankton glowered. "Let me see what little of mine is left."

Michiru's expression softened. Pity. "It might not be safe inside. Because I destroyed everything but the Duplicatotron. Someone took it away. I'm not sure where."

Heat coursed through Plankton. "You mean to tell me that you destroyed everything I cared about _but_ the thing causing the robot mess?"

She nodded. So ashamed that she couldn't speak. As well she should be.

Plankton tightened his fists to keep himself from gouging the simpleton's eyes out.

"I'll have to let everyone else know, too. About King Neptune coming."

"Is that all you care about? Yourself? Your pride?" Plankton's vision blurred more, Michiru fragmenting. "You destroyed everythingI own. Now someone else owns the Duplicatotron. Everyone takes from me because I'm small and they know they can get away with it." He grinded his teeth. "And now you come along. Because everyone else wasn't enough." How Plankton wished that he could flush her brain down the toilet, for all the good it did. "But you're a goddess now, right? You should be able to restore everything I own." He crossed his arms. "Go ahead." He flicked his hand. "I'm waiting, Goddess."

Michiru's jaw tightened. She faced the smoking Chum Bucket, flexed and then extended her free hand toward the restaurant.

"What's wrong?" Plankton said. "King Neptune can do anything. He made you the goddess. You should be able to do everything, too."

"He didn't give me any powers. He withdrew his own from Bikini Bottom so my powers are no longer restricted. That's why I lost control."

"Somebody else's fault?" Whenever things were going well, it was all thanks to oneself; but when things were going wrong, then it was somebody else's fault.

"I'm not trying to pin the blame on somebody else. I should've practiced more before I used my powers. Then none of this"—she gestured toward the Chum Bucket— "would've happened." She spread her fingers. "I can't try again. Who knows what'll happen?"

"Michiru-san, you can't give up." Plankton warmed at Makoto's voice. "Things turned out badly before, but you can't not use your powers the rest of the time we're down here. We can't fight without you."

"You did it without me before the Outer Guardians arrived. The rest of you are more capable than you think."

True. The first set of Guardians had made Plankton cower, with their not-so-empty threats, their powers that rocked the world, controlling and summoning the elements.

Michiru lowered her hand. "I can't. Not now. If I decide to use my powers again, I'll have to practice someplace where nothing else can be destroyed. But first, we should go back to the treedome and tell everyone what happened." She placed a hand on her heart. "I'll tell them everything. The rest of you have nothing to do with what I did."

Makoto opened her mouth.

"No words. Let's just go back."

The group walked back to the treedome in silence. Inside, Chibi-Usa lay on the ground, snoring softly, her head cradled in Setsuna's lap, the older Guardian massaging Chibi-Usa's shoulders. Beside Chibi-Usa lay Hotaru, arm tucked under her head, eyes closed, rising and falling steadily. Chibi-Usa's mother and father watched their daughter sleep from afar, not daring to near her or anyone else. Even though they were afflicted by their illness, they didn't take advantage of their free time to rest, unlike Minako, who sat upright, arms crossed, but whose chin was pressed to her chest, asleep. Looks like she had tried to remain awake.

Haruka, back against the tree, sitting beside Sandy, vaulted onto her feet. Started toward Michiru, but Michiru raised a hand.

Sandy stood. "We heard this big explosion earlier. We were gonna see what it was, but we figured y'all were fightin', like you usually do. Thought that you might have taken care of that duplicatin' contraption. But by the looks on your faces, it don't look like you did."

Minako opened an eye. "Looks like somebody died." She stretched. "What happened?"

"I died," Plankton mumbled.

Chibi-Usa stirred, sat upright, leaning on Setsuna and then carrying her own weight. Hotaru pushed herself onto her knees. Usagi and Mamoru stiffened in unison.

The other humans' eyes raked over Plankton, SpongeBob, Patrick, Michiru, and Makoto. Michiru kept her expression neutral, but her tense body told a different story. Haruka cocked her head at Michiru. She noticed.

Michiru explained. Said that Makoto, SpongeBob, and Patrick had tried to stop Michiru, but their power paled in comparison to hers.

"Why's that?" Sandy said.

Michiru tightened her grip on Plankton. Any more squeezing, and Plankton would suffocate. "Because King Neptune relinquished his godhood to make me the goddess of Bikini Bottom."

The silence slammed into the treedome, so great that the robots wheeling about outside, the people screaming, seemed deafening. No one breathed. Even their outspoken leader, Minako, kept silent. What, she'd never been taught how to deal with humans becoming goddesses in leadership school?

What little color Usagi had had left, drained. Everyone stared at Michiru, like she was an alien.

After what she'd done, which she'd explained in excruciating detail, of course they believed that they didn't know who she was.

Plankton was clueless about the dynamics between the Guardians, but it seemed as though they'd been close when he'd first met them, working like a well-oiled machine. Their unity was crumbling.

Michiru spoke again, perhaps to end the crushing silence. "We can move past this. But I can't use my powers until I figure out how to control them." She flexed her free hand. "King Neptune was restraining me through his own, greater powers. Now that he's stepped back, the full extent of my powers is being shown. An extent that I wasn't anticipating." She straightened. "It's hard to believe, but King Neptune was protecting Bikini Bottom. I could feel his protection lift when he made me the one solely responsible for Bikini Bottom. He didn't seem like he was working at all, but he was protecting Bikini Bottom from afar, from predators and fishermen from the surface. The king did let some fishermen penetrate occasionally, but not as much as they could. He diverted those fishermen elsewhere. For some reason, he never let you all know what he was protecting you from. Maybe because he didn't want you to see. Maybe he's not as selfish as we thought, or he would've kept on saying that he was protecting Bikini Bottom so the fish would worship him. Maybe he wanted the fish to keep living carefree lives." She looked at the ground. No longer looked others in the eyes when she had all the power she could want.

At her most powerful, she felt powerless.

"I haven't been goddess for a long time, but it'll be the most difficult job I've ever had. Somehow, I have to protect this entire sea."

By the way Michiru had nearly gone off the deep end, reigning over a small world wasn't the dream Plankton expected.

What did Michiru's trouble mean for Plankton's inevitable leadership?

Plankton had broken down over losing the Chum Bucket, not bounced back, like rulers.

He shouldn't compare himself to a mere human. He was Sheldon J. Plankton. He alone could remake the world into a place worth living in, a fair place for all.

He only needed a chance.

Plankton wouldn't rule as stupidly as King Neptune or Sailor Neptune. He'd take away Bikini Bottom's defenses, forcing the fish to fend for themselves. They'd become stronger, especially fighting the hooks.

He'd give the smaller creatures more rights than the larger ones, tailor the world to them. Would draw those smaller creatures to Bikini Bottom, boosting the economy. Those larger fools wouldn't have anyplace to escape to.

One could dream.

"I don't want to slow us down." Michiru gazed at her hands like they belonged to someone else. "Even though I did what I did, and King Neptune made me all-powerful, we need to move faster than ever before. We have to finish what we started, destroy the robots, end the Dead Moon Circus' plans, and destroy the Duplicatotron once and for all."

"She's right," Haruka said. "We have to keep moving."

"Yes, of course." Minako brushed herself off. "Thanks for relieving us for a little while. I can't say that we got plenty of rest, but the little bit of rest we did get is better than nothing."

"Michiru, are you sure you're doing okay?" Usagi said. "I mean, I don't know what to say. Technically, you're the most powerful Guardian here." She scratched the side of her head. "Sorry, I'm not making things better."

Michiru regarded Usagi, her eyes piercingly teal. Her smile made her look creepier. "It's okay, Usagi. I'll get used to it. I don't want to make you all uncomfortable but, based on the way you all are looking at me, we're past that."

Many people shifted from foot to foot, trying to look Michiru in the eyes without looking at her like a species that had never been seen.

"Aw, come on," Haruka said. "You guys can try better than that."

Patrick sidled up to Michiru. "I still like you, Michiru. You can be my nightlight, like you were in Rock Bottom."

Rei scrunched her mouth. "I thought we disposed of your painful fear of the dark."

SpongeBob hurried to Michiru, bowed, pressing his face to the ground.

Plankton jolted. "Hey. That's the posture you should be reserving for me."

"I bow down to you, great goddess." SpongeBob raised his arms, lifting his face, his eyes to the sky, and then bowed once more. "Only you are worthy to be worshipped. Tell me, what would you like this humble servant to do for you today?"

"Get up," Michiru said.

SpongeBob sprung onto his feet. "With gladness. What else?"

"SpongeBob, don't treat me any differently. I am not like King Neptune. I don't want your or anyone else's subservience or worship."

"Yes, I'll obey you at all times, your godliness."

Michiru sighed.

Minako nearly sprung at the door. "We should get going."

"You're too happy about destroying a machine, going out and fighting for the five hundredth time within forty-eight hours on two hours of sleep," Haruka said. "Anything to stop how awkward this day has been?"

"That's not—"

"Don't give me that crap. You want something to rally around and take our minds off of Michiru."

"Not true. Don't start anything. Not now." She glanced at Michiru. Her glance, her unwillingness to look Michiru in the eyes, said all they needed to know.

"I like taking things head-on." Haruka clenched and unclenched her hands. "So we're gonna solve this. Now."

"The Duplicatotron takes priority."

"The machine will still be out there when we go. We can't work well together with this awkwardness surrounding us."

"I agree with Minako." Setsuna gripped her rod planted in the grass, taller than her, giving her a queenly aura. "The Duplicatotron is producing robots as we speak. We should go destroy it now and sort out Michiru's situation later."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the treedome.

Haruka raised her hands. "Fine. Doesn't make sense to me, but I know when I'm beat."

The group rushed out of the treedome, to Plankton's pile of a Chum Bucket. Remains of steaming, freshly made chum; the menu; chum-pumping machines; and Karen were heaped atop one another. His life, literally on the ground.

Everything was there but the Duplicatotron. Like they hadn't believed Michiru's giant wave could miss a giant machine until they laid eyes upon it.

Everyone stared. For the second time that day, they'd been rendered speechless.

Minako grit her teeth. "We were so close, and now, it's gone? Who moved it so fast?"

"It looks like they moved their base so they wouldn't be discovered," Ami said. "They have to have left some clues."

"True." Setsuna stepped toward the rubble. "We might have to look through all these pieces to find clues. Or we can see if they left any trails behind. Moving a machine that large couldn't be easy. Other fish had to have seen or heard a giant machine moving, too, and they might be able to point us in the right direction."

For the umpteenth time, silence descended, louder than any words that had been spoken that day.

Looking to Michiru without looking at her. Hoping that, as a goddess, she'd gained telepathic powers and could read minds, answer unspoken questions.

"Okay, people," Haruka said, "we can't keep walking on eggshells here, just because we're in the almighty presence of—gasp!—a goddess. Michiru is still Michiru, and we can talk to her like she's still Michiru. We understand?"

Everyone remained silent. If anything, Haruka's attempt at a pep talk had made the situation more awkward.

Michiru rubbed Haruka's shoulder. "Thanks for trying. Anyhow, I know you all are thinking that, as a goddess, I can see everyone and everything, that I have all the answers. And I do have a greater clarity than I had before. Not really the answers, but more choices. I can see what certain decisions will lead to and the scenarios that can take place. And yes, Plankton, that means that I was able to see a scenario in which I destroyed your Chum Bucket. Which came true, sadly. It also means that I was able to see a scenario in which only the Duplicatotron was destroyed, we defeated the robots and the Dead Moon Circus, and then we returned to the surface, leaving Bikini Bottom safe once again. The ideal scenario I was hoping to cause. But I couldn't. I thought I could control my powers because I'm able to control so many other things." She glared at her hands. "But I wasn't. I can't apologize enough for letting you all down." She closed her eyes. "Some mistakes shouldn't be excused. Especially mine."

 _Darn straight._ Plankton bit his tongue to keep from saying his thoughts. Haruka would crush him into dust if he did.

"Anyhow, when I see difference scenarios, it's like I'm looking through glass, transported to another dimension, almost, while still being able to control myself in the present. So you can't tell when I'm seeing these scenarios. They run through my brain quickly, like flash cards, but I'm able to see, absorb, and understand every detail.

"You'd think I could see everything that's happening, at least in the undersea world, all at once. If I focus on certain things, I can. For example, if I focus on Plankton when he's far away, I can see where he is, something that I usually wouldn't be able to do without my mirror. I can focus on the robots, but they aren't living beings, so I can't track them down. Which means, I can't track down where the Duplicatotron is, unless a fish saw it and knows where it is. And I don't know who all the fish in Bikini Bottom are so, even if they know where the machine is, I can't get that information from them because I can't read other people's minds. If a fish was physically beside the Duplicatotron, I wouldn't be able to find the machine because I wouldn't know who the fish was to focus in on him. I'm aware of all the fish's presences, but not their specific locations.

"That's the basics of my powers. Any questions?"

"Many," Chibi-Usa said at once as Usagi said, "Just the basics?"

Makoto rubbed her head. "That was more complex than math."

"More complex than a jackrabbit with six fingers," Sandy said.

Rei narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't sound complex at all."

"You'd be surprised," Ami said.

"I didn't understand a word you were saying," Patrick said. "Are you sure you were speaking a language?"

"He has a point this time," Rei said. "I could barely understand you myself. But I think I followed the gist of it."

Usagi shrugged. "I feel like your explaining what it's like to be a god has driven us further apart. We'll never experience what being a god is like. I'm the Moon Princess, but I'm not a god. There's a big difference between the two."

Michiru's eyes grew wistful. "That's okay. To be honest, I don't need you to understand. I don't feel lonely. I only need your support, and you're supporting me well. That's all I can ask for."

Nods from the Sailor Team.

The group ran about Bikini Bottom, asking fish if they'd seen a mountainous machine moving, but none had.

"It's like it disappeared," Hotaru said.

Setsuna rubbed her chin. "Maybe it did." 

Plankton growled. "Maybe that scoundrel who turned Karen on and wiped her memory did it."

"We might be able to get some clues from the robots about who that is," Minako said. "I have a feeling that he's someone who isn't associated with Dead Moon." She turned to the sponge. "SpongeBob, where else do you think the robots would tear things up?"

"Three places again."

"Always three," Chibi-Usa muttered.

"There's the dream world, Kelp Forest, and the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard."

Ami cocked her head. "Dream world? Like the ones the Dead Moon Circus has been manipulating?"

"I don't know. I mean, there's a sacred rock circle that let's you fall asleep right away and live out your wildest dreams. You can lucid dream in it, and others can join you if you let them, so you can play together in a dreamland. But the robots might have found a way to get inside those dreams."

"I don't really understand," Usagi said. "I guess we have to try it ourselves first."

SpongeBob waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, it's as simple as the teleporting boxes."

"Meaning, not simple at all," Ami said.

"Plus, the rocks protect us from elements, like rain and snow. It might protect us from the robots, too."

Haruka placed a hand on the back of her head. "Worth a try. We just have to be one-hundred percent sure that we can't be attacked while we're sleeping."

Sandy stiffened. "I don't think I want to sleep for a while, at least not in the dream circle."

Makoto's eyes softened. Sailor Jupiter was so insightful, so compassionate. Hugging things like him.

SpongeBob smiled broadly. "I have a special ability. I'm able to visit others in their own dreams. Maybe that'll rub off on you guys, and we'll be able to venture inside the dream world together."

"Again, not quite sure how or why that works," Ami said, "and why you, SpongeBob, are the only one who has that ability, but I'll try and figure it out as we go along."

"Does that mean you want to go to the dream world with me?"

"We do work pretty well together. But maybe we should try to balance the teams this time. For example, I go with Rei-chan, whose attacks aren't as powerful down here."

"I want to go to the dream world." Plankton wanted to see if he could dream his vision of being ruler. He'd do better than Michiru.

Maybe.

Of course he would. If his genes were superior to all of fishkind's, then his genes must be superior to humans', too.

"You have no powers," Rei said, lips in a thin line.

"My brain is my power. Besides, the dream world might bless me with more."

She gestured toward Ami and Setsuna. "We already have at least two people who are as smart or smarter than you are and don't have the ego to drag them down and make them stupid, like yours does."

Her bluntness did not make her words true. "Maybe I can run a few scenarios of how to defeat the robots. C'mon, you know you can't leave me by myself. Why, poor little me would perish alone."

"He's right, you know," Minako said.

SpongeBob shuffled to Plankton. "That's okay if he comes with us. Plankton and I have had our ups and downs, but we get along."

SpongeBob wasn't as loyal of a minion as Patrick, but the starfish was an idiot. SpongeBob wasn't as much of an idiot, so he could be relied on a bit more.

"I'll go, too," Michiru said. "I'm hoping that my powers will be contained in our dreams."

"So will I," Makoto said immediately. Wherever her enthusiasm had come from, at least Plankton would have the closest he had to a friend, besides SpongeBob, with him.

"I will, too," Mamoru said. "Our sicknesses shouldn't spread to anyone in this dream world, so we can work together there without fear of contaminating anyone." He turned to Usagi. "And I'd like you to come with me. Not just because of our curse, but because I want you to see my dreams, and I want to see and be part of yours."

Usagi's mouth parted. "Mamo-chan…" Looked like she was going to kiss him right then and there. Plankton almost gagged. They spoke to each other like they were in a soap opera.

"The forest sounds like an interesting place to study," Ami said. "I'll go there."

"I'll go to the graveyard," Setsuna said. "It sounds supernatural, and I'd like to study it."

Patrick raised a hand. "I know the Flying Dutchman. He likes me. I'll go to his graveyard." 

"Are you sure he likes you, Patrick?" Rei said. "Because none of us want to be killed because of someone not liking you."

"Surer than sure." He chattered on his nails. "And Kelp Forest is d-d-dark. I don't wanna go there."

"You overcame your fear of the dark."

He stepped forward. "That's right. I wanna see if I can handle the dark again. And I don't want any nightlights. So Rei, if there are dark parts in the graveyard, stay away from me."

Rei smiled. "Okay. If you're sure." Gone was her patronizing tone. "I'm afraid I'll burn down a forest. I'll go to the graveyard too, with you, Patrick. Maybe my psychic abilities will become more powerful there."

Hotaru's eyes twinkled. "A graveyard sounds delightfully morbid. I'll go too."

Chibi-Usa stepped back. "You look scary, Hotaru-chan."

She giggled. "Thank you."

"I'll head to the graveyard, too." Haruka pounded her fist into the palm of her hand. "It sounds fun and exciting. A forest sounds boring and cliché." Ami opened her mouth, but Haruka raised a hand. "I know, I know. Nothing's boring or cliché down here.

"Then I'll be headin' to good ol' Kelp Forest," Sandy said. "I ain't been there in so long. Lots o' jungle to run around in."

"Sounds pretty fun," Minako said. "I'll go with you and Ami."

"That leaves me with Kelp Forest, too," Chibi-Usa said, "to keep things even."

SpongeBob clasped his hands. "Lovely. We have our teams and assignments." He blew a bubble that looked like a soldier's hat and then topped his head with it. "Soldiers, let's move out."

Plankton might not be much of a soldier, but his intelligence would make him an asset. In his dreams, he'd show that he lead more greatly than Michiru ever could.

Finally, Plankton had gained an opportunity to prove himself. He would not squander it.


	50. Kinetic Disruption

**Chapter Fifty: Kinetic Disruption**

PallaPalla opened her eyes to a sandy ceiling. Flooding her were images of that damn Sailor Jupiter nearly breaking her face with a punch, not having a chance to retaliate because Hawk's Eye had whisked her away. If PallaPalla had stayed, she might've been killed.

Being killed would've been worth seeing the Guardians' crestfallen expressions as they realized that they weren't pure-hearted.

They thought that everything was black and white. Never considered a gray area.

To the Dead Moon Circus, conquering the world was good. To the Guardians, Dead Moon's pursuits were evil. But the Dead Moon Circus' world could be best for everyone. The Guardians wouldn't give the Dead Moon Circus a chance to prove that their reign would be better than the Moon Kingdom's. Under Queen Serenity's rulership, the world would be boring, too peaceful. Under a world crushed with nightmares, no one would have any choice but to bow down to Dead Moon. Wars would end. The world would be its own version of peaceful. Screams would lull Queen Nehellenia to sleep. Most importantly, she'd continue to protect PallaPalla, her sisters, Hawk's Eye, and Fisheye. The Quartet would be on top for once, no longer living under the threat of rabid animals, no longer homeless, no longer fending for themselves but having the world at their disposal.

Problem was, no matter what the Amazon Trio and the Amazoness Quartet did, the Guardians overpowered them.

The sea creatures seemed to be the Guardians' Achilles' heel. The Sailor Team foolishly put the creatures before themselves.

PallaPalla rubbed her black and blue cheek. Attacking the sea creatures also enraged the Guardians.

Thankfully, PallaPalla and her sisters hid in the middle of nowhere. Safe from the Sailor Team, for now.

They'd buried themselves in a sand dune near the base of Sand Mountain. Sitting beside her, CereCere peered into PallaPalla's eyes. "You're awake. Finally. You had me worried for a moment."

From the other side, JunJun stretched. "All of us."

VesVes kept running her hand over her whip, scowling, instead of noticing PallaPalla. "Damn it. Freaking fish down here are too nice. 'Killing with kindness.' What kind of crap is that?"

Hawk's Eye lay on his back, in the middle of the group.

Fisheye sat, cross-legged, beside VesVes, rapping his fingers upon his thigh. "The fish down here are nicer than you'd think."

"Gotta get them to be mean somehow," VesVes said. "Mean enough to kill with weapons."

"We could manipulate their dreams," PallaPalla said. "Maybe they'll become mean through nightmares."

CereCere squeezed PallaPalla's hand. "You're much smarter than others give you credit for. Creating the Amazon Trio. Coming up with the most diabolical nightmares. Makes people underestimate you." She smirked. "Am I rubbing off on you?"

"Actually, PallaPalla thinks you talk too much, so she's trying to have you not rub off on her."

VesVes' cheeks puffed, and she broke into laughter. "Got that right. CereCere yaps so much, she makes ears bleed."

CereCere crashed a fist into VesVes' cheek, popping it flat. "Shut up. You 'yap' a lot yourself."

VesVes glowered at CereCere and then broke into a grin. "Just because we've been apart for a while doesn't making punching me okay."

"Neither does laughing at me." CereCere massaged VesVes' cheek.

JunJun leaned backward, onto the wall. "I missed being with all of you. Let's not separate ever again."

Fisheye bit his lip. "Not everyone. Tiger's Eye…" He wiped his eyes.

Suddenly, PallaPalla wanted to find and slowly, painfully end Tiger's Eye's murderer. With their weakness, they were in no condition to do anything.

PallaPalla swung upright. "It's PallaPalla's fault. She didn't make you guys powerful enough. The Guardians were stronger than PallaPalla thought."

Fisheye flexed his hands. "I've gotten powers down here. I've tried using them against the Guardians, but they're still too strong. If I train, maybe I can grow strong enough to stand against them."

"Don't forget that we can disguise ourselves," Hawk's Eye said. "Manipulating the Guardians' dreams might not be working, but we can manipulate them in other ways."

CereCere snapped her fingers. "Good point."

"What about teaming up with the robots?" JunJun said. "They want to cause chaos. The Guardians want to stop them, so they want to stop the Guardians. We want to stop the Guardians. A setup for a perfect team." She snorted. "Better than being with Plankton."

Hawk's Eye flicked dust from his shoulder. "What a useless partnership that was. Then he wound up going over to the Guardians' side."

"Look on the bright side," VesVes said. "We have an excuse to kill him."

CereCere cupped her chin. "I don't think robots work the way you think they work, JunJun. They don't have brains. All they do is what they're programmed to do. And they're programmed to not obey anyone. So we'll have to work with them, without working with them. Meaning, they cause destruction, we go along with it, use what they're doing to our advantage. They stand against us, we break them. Simple as that."

"So you think."

The group started, PallaPalla looking up, toward the voice.

VesVes groaned. "That old hag again?"

"Quit your complaining. 'That old hag' is trying to save you from dying from stupidity."

VesVes opened her mouth, about to bark at the hag.

CereCere raised a hand. "I have to say it, but she's right, VesVes."

VesVes cursed under her breath but said nothing more.

"You fools have let many opportunities slip by," Zirconia said. "So I took it upon myself to gain…reinforcements, if you will."

"You don't trust us," VesVes muttered. "Figures."

"Excuse me for not trusting impulsive teenage girls."

VesVes opened her mouth in another brewing bark.

"Reinforcements?" CereCere said.

"Let me go back for a moment. A sea god bestowed divinity upon Sailor Neptune."

PallaPalla blinked. "Does that mean she's even stronger now?" If she was, then Sailor Neptune might spell death for Dead Moon.

"Yes and no. She's reluctant to use her powers because she grew arrogant and destroyed too much of Plankton's precious restaurant. Almost destroyed Plankton's computer wife, too, but I stepped in. You see, while the Guardians were on their way to the Chum Bucket, I met the robot's leader in the restaurant's restroom, of all places. I told him that the Guardians would destroy him, the Chum Bucket, his robots, and the computer wife, and he wasn't strong enough to do anything about it. I told him that, if I saved his life, he'd have to join Dead Moon, turning his robots with us for the common purpose of destroying the Guardians and those three animals with them. The leader wants Plankton dead most of all."

"But he's useless," VesVes said.

"To us, Plankton is. To the robots, he's an obstacle that can turn the D3000 back onto 'Obey.' If he does, then the robots, including the leader, will be forced to obey Plankton. The leader's trying to figure out how to reprogram the D3000 so, even if it's switched back to 'Obey,' Plankton won't be obeyed but only him. If he gets rid of the obedience switch completely, then the robots will run rogue, not obeying anyone.

"Before Sailor Neptune destroyed the Chum Bucket, I teleported the Duplicatotron, the computer, and the robot's leader away. Since I saved them all, they owe us. Therefore, you have nothing to fear from the robots. Before, they wanted to cause chaos. Now, they're focused on killing the Guardians."

VesVes balled her hands. "We could've handled things ourselves. We had just gotten used to Bikini Bottom and fighting the Guardians. We were on the verge of a breakthrough."

"No, you weren't."

Her face reddened.

PallaPalla clapped her hands. "More toys to play with."

"That's a good way of looking at it, I guess," JunJun said.

"We did need more help." CereCere smirked. "Finally, you did something useful for once."

"I'll never understand why you keep insulting me when I keep helping you."

"Because you're a—" VesVes said.

"Not another word." The hag's voice quaked the dune, sand falling from the ceiling. "I don't want to hear your nonsense answer." She took a breath. VesVes ground out another curse under her breath. "I've seen where the Guardians and their pets have gone. Here's what we'll do."

* * *

Once again, the Sailor Team and the sea creatures separated. Sandy led Ami, Minako, and Chibi-Usa toward Kelp Forest. For the umpteenth time since talking in the tree, perhaps longing for her solidity, the squirrel looked back at Makoto, the Guardian poking one of the rocks in the circle that forced lucid dreams. Makoto stared at her finger. Expecting it to gain the ability to lucid dream?

If only Chibi-Usa could lucid dream, testing different ways to save Helios from his prison. She hadn't seen Helios since he had shielded her from the raging fight in the Mermalair, exalting her value and beauty.

Even if Sailor Moon was the only one who could save him, perhaps Helios would fall in love with Chibi-Usa.

Chibi-Usa's cheeks burned, and she slapped her hands on her cheeks to hide the blush. Good thing no one had—

As slowly as a crane, Minako turned her head toward Chibi-Usa. A grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat's spread on her face.

Chibi-Usa couldn't get away with anything, least of all being noticed. Such were the woes of being the Moon Princess' daughter.

Minako sidled closer to Chibi-Usa with that infuriating grin. "They also call me the Goddess of Love."

Chibi-Usa's cheeks burned hotter, the coursing heat keeping her from asking who, exactly, thought of Minako as having any kind of expertise in love when she'd never had a steady boyfriend.

Minako may not read much, but she knew about the goddess Venus, who governed love and raunchier things, like sex and fertility. Not that Chibi-Usa was anywhere near the time when she needed to think about either. Nine-hundred and two years too young. Yet another woe of being the Moon Princess' daughter.

"Oh, Chibi-Usa-chan, you're adorable," Minako sang.

Chibi-Usa tucked her head. Her face must be a beacon in the growing dark.

"Worry not. I'm here to help you navigate the waters of adolescence. Because, let's face it, those waters are full of boys."

Chibi-Usa could've melted into a puddle. Worse, the sudden birds-and-the-bees conversation (traveling to the middle of a forest, while saving the world) wouldn't have gone better with her own mother, anyone but Puu. Sailor Pluto somehow made embarrassing things seem normal, giving Chibi-Usa a safe space to vent. But Puu was studying a haunted graveyard.

Bending to Chibi-Usa's level, Minako laced her hands behind her back. "Now, tell the Goddess of Love, what ails you? I can solve any love problem."

"B-be serious, Minako." Surely, Minako realized the gravity of the situation with Helios.

"Ooh, using my full name. Must be a serious situation."

"So you get it?" Chibi-Usa pushed down the fluttering hope in her chest. At any time, Minako could switch from serious to goofy, and the twinkle in her eye said that she was going to stay the latter.

"Got it." She chuckled lowly. "I know who your waters are filled with—Helios."

"I said be serious." Chibi-Usa wanted to hide in a hole until Minako returned to her own planet and stayed there for the foreseeable future. What audacity, with Sandy and Ami walking feet ahead, the two having fallen silent, listening and doing nothing to save Chibi-Usa. All they needed was popcorn.

Could've been worse. Minako could've wailed about love in front of the innocent SpongeBob and Patrick, both of whom would've asked questions so embarrassing, Chibi-Usa would've had to dig her own grave, her headstone reading, "Here lies Usagi Tsukino, the daughter of the Moon Princess, who triumphed over demons and aliens but succumbed to embarrassment at the hands of her own ally."

"Oh, but I am serious, little one."

Chibi-Usa could've thrown a rock, knocking the "goddess" unconscious without a second thought. Anything to shut Minako up.

"I am, too," Chibi-Usa shot back. "And I'm telling you, you're embarrassing me." Nearly cringed at her whininess.

Minako rubbed her hands. "Don't worry. I'll get my hands on you soon to tell you all about true love."

"I bet. Both you and your nonexistent boyfriend." After much of the damage had been done, her silver tongue had clawed through the embarrassment.

Minako faltered like an anvil had crushed her. "Well, that is…" Silent. Chibi-Usa had finally stopped Minako's tirade.

Instead of commenting, Sandy called a taxi, and the four rode toward the forest. Thank goodness Sandy had the decency to wait until Minako had stopped before hailing a taxi. The "Goddess of Love" would've unashamedly kept yammering about love in front of a stranger.

Minako ran a hand through her hair. "Man, these taxis go everywhere." Just like that, her own embarrassment was forgotten. "Did they really take you up a mountain?"

"You better believe it." Sandy rubbed her paws. "Money talks."

"Talks louder here than in Japan."

The squirrel shrugged. "What can we say? Bikini Bottom's a lot like the United States. Which is good for me, from a cultural standpoint."

Ami gazed out the window, at the darkening sky. "The United States isn't nearly as cartoonish as Bikini Bottom, is it?"

"Far from it. Humans are too serious, anyhow. They do have their goofy moments, though, especially when they're trying to be serious." Sandy scratched the side of her head. "Sorry. Forgot you guys are humans for a moment."

Minako slung an arm around Sandy's shoulder. "That just means we're growing closer." She pressed her face toward Sandy's. "I must ask, though. When have you laughed at us when we're trying to be serious?"

Sandy and Minako stared at each other. The goofy Minako knew how to intimidate others when needed. Others often thought of her as stupid because of her blonde hair and bright, blue eyes but were unpleasantly surprised once she struck them with her chain or a seemingly innocuous golden heart.

"First of all," Sandy said, "you ain't scarin' me. Second of all, you guys can be pretty funny. But laugh _at_ you? That's downright insulting. I've been laughed at, and it ain't pleasant."

"Sure isn't." The cab was small enough that everyone heard and looked at Chibi-Usa. With the pity radiating from everyone, maybe the pink-haired Guardian shouldn't have said anything. She twiddled her thumbs. Had to get the pity off of her. "Why have people laughed at you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"`Cause I'm a squirrel. I breathe different, I look different, I walk different, I talk different. Know what I've learned, though? People make fun of you `cause they're scared of you, know you're capable of doing a lot and don't wanna see you succeed. Even when I was livin' in Texas, other squirrels made fun o' me because I liked reading and inventin' and was interested in ocean life. The other squirrels couldn't understand that. Didn't try to understand, neither. So they laughed, and look where we are today. They're prob'ly still stuffin' their faces with acorns and doin' nothin' but gettin' fat while I study a new world and work to connect the land and the sea. In the end, they won't have a legacy or nothin' to show for their lives while I do."

Maybe that's why her male classmates took Chibi-Usa out on mock dates. Why some had started rumors that Chibi-Usa was adopted and couldn't be the true heir to the Moon Kingdom, with her red eyes and pink hair that were the opposite of her mother and father's appearances. They saw the potential in Chibi-Usa, knew that she'd one day inherit a kingdom. They'd been trying to break her out of jealousy, fear of the power she'd one day wield, desire to hold that power themselves.

Maybe Chibi-Usa was looking too much into the reasons why her classmates bullied her, but Sandy's explanation made sense.

"What did they do to you, Chibi-Usa?" Ami said.

Chibi-Usa tapped her fingers. "Um…" Couldn't revisit the bullying, not when she still had a hard time facing it alone. Hadn't told her parents. Didn't want her classmates to ridicule her more because she had run to Mommy and Daddy, using her parents' power to bail her out instead of stopping them on her own.

Sandy raised a hand. "It doesn't matter. Just remember that whenever others bully you, their bullyin' says more about them than it does you."

She straightened. The bullying wasn't her fault. Chibi-Usa had a lot of growing to do, but there were many things right with her.

Outside, the sand was overgrown with crisscrossing kelp and vines, crabgrass, weeds. Even though nighttime was hours away, the area became nearly pitch-black. Chibi-Usa tensed. Found herself almost summoning Luna-P. Couldn't cling to her cat toy now, despite her feeling like she was about to go to bed alone in a bedroom that was too big for her, covering herself with bedsheets in an attempt to hide from monsters.

Chirping and twittering filled the cab. Maybe the group would have to fight against not only the robots and the Dead Moon Circus, but also whatever creatures dwelled in Kelp Forest, protective of their territory.

Like hulking weeds, kelp grew around them. Ami placed a hand on Chibi-Usa's shoulder. When had the small Guardian grown nearly petrified of the dark?

"I'd better stop here before I get lost." The taxi screeched to a halt in front of several mountainous kelp. "Ride's over."

"That's it?" Chibi-Usa blurted.

"Yep. You're at the entrance. Out. The longer you sit there, the less money I can make."

"Best not argue." Sandy opened the door and scooted out of the cab, the humans behind her. As soon as Minako slammed the door, the cab screamed off, smoke billowing from its exhaust pipe.

"Is Kelp Forest that bad?" Another blurt from Chibi-Usa. How could her small tongue be nigh uncontrollable?

Sandy placed a hand on the back of her helmet, looking up at the kelp. "Not bad. As long as you don't get lost."

Chibi-Usa gulped.

"Have you ever been in Kelp Forest, Sandy?" Ami said.

"No, so I'm probably not the best guide. But it doesn't matter how many times you come. A forest ranger can get lost as easily as a newbie."

Kelp Forest sprawled endlessly. So much kelp enveloped the forest that walking seemed impossible. Heat and humidity caked Chibi-Usa. She futilely fanned herself. Running through the forest would not be pleasant. Sweat was beginning to drench her, and she hadn't moved since stepping out of the cab.

Sandy tugged at the collar of her suit. Sweat glistened her fur. "Anyhow, we'd better get goin'. I may be a squirrel, but I'm not a big fan of forests, so the sooner we can leave, the better."

Ever the leader, Minako walked ahead, stepping gingerly on the kelp, as if fearful that the kelp could come to life and eat her whole. She parted the kelp, looking around for enemies, nodding at her teammates and then letting her friends go ahead. Once they were through, Minako let the kelp go, and the kelp rustled and snapped shut. Thus began their trek through Kelp Forest.

"Our enemies could jump out anytime." Minako peered through another set of kelp and then, seeing nothing, let her friends go ahead. "Be careful, everyone. I know it's hard to hear with all this chirping, wherever these animals are, but listen as best you can for anything out of the ordinary."

The Dead Moon Circus laughed a lot, left disorder in their wake. Chibi-Usa was ready for them.

She wouldn't let her enemies break her and her friends down emotionally again. The group was still recovering, not to mention Usagi's and Mamoru's conditions.

Chibi-Usa should be at her parents' sides, yet she'd gone with Sandy, Ami, and Minako. Didn't ask to switch with anyone to be with her parents. The future king and queen would have no choice but to let Chibi-Usa come with them; surely, their curse couldn't spread to anyone in a dream.

She refused to have regrets. She was here and would do her best, return stronger then before, showing her parents that they never had to worry about her.

The kelp thinned, and they reached a nearly pitch-black clearing. The sun peeked through the kelp, afraid that, if it ventured closer, it would become lost, too.

A lake rippled to their left. Ahead, several tents were pitched around a portable bathroom. Mrs. Puff stood beside the tent, fanning herself, sweating. From the forest or something else? She seemed like the type to become nervous easily.

Makoto, Sandy, and Haruka had explained that the Dead Moon Circus manipulated Mrs. Puff's dreams, too, reminding her of humans turning her husband into a lamp. Though Usagi and Ami, two humans, had saved her significant other, Mr. Krabs, her distrust of humans had returned.

"Let's see if Mrs. Puff needs any help." Minako quickened.

Mrs. Puff screwed up her mouth, like she'd eaten a lemon.

"Careful, now," Sandy whispered, her mouth barely moving. "Mrs. Puff is more dangerous than she looks."

"She sure is." Eons ago, Ami had fought alongside Mrs. Puff in Jellyfish Fields.

A fish poked his head out of one of the tents. Mrs. Puff shooed the fish away, and he squared his expression at the humans and Sandy running toward them. The fish's eyes widened momentarily, and he ducked back inside, zipping the tent shut, like a tent would keep three girls with supernatural powers and a karate-chopping squirrel from forging their way inside.

"I see you've told them all about us," Minako said.

"Oh, yes." Mrs. Puff stepped in front of the tent, spreading her fins. "Stay back, or else, you lamp-loving murderers."

Chibi-Usa winced. Unlike Sandy, Mrs. Puff didn't have many friends to support her, so she was dealing with the heartache the best way she knew how—lashing out at the innocent.

"I won't let you get anyone else. Definitely not my boating school students."

Sandy gestured downward. "Please, Mrs. Puff, calm down."

"I am calm," Mrs. Puff snarled.

"Let's start with why you decided to come here. Mind sharin'?"

"Why not? You're here now." She turned up her nose. "I brought my boating school students here to hide from you all. I was formulating a plan to drive you out of here once and for all. Now that some of you are here, we can run you out for good and then deal with the rest of your friends later."

Sandy rushed ahead of the humans. "Even me, Mrs. Puff? I've been through heck n' back with these humans. They've saved me more times than I can count. If I trust them, why can't you?"

"Humans are crafty and cunning, Miss Cheeks. They may be helping you now only to turn you into a cute, furry lamp later."

Minako slowed into a walk. "Mrs. Puff, we don't mean anybody harm. We promise. We're not like the girl who gave you that nightmare. We're trying to save you from them."

"You didn't come fast enough on Sand Mountain."

"We're sorry about that," Ami said. "On behalf of the rest of our friends who were on Sand Mountain."

"At least you're taking responsibility for your mistakes. But that doesn't change the fact that all you humans have the capability of murdering fish again."

Minako shook her head. "You can't think that way. We are here to help you. I understand that you're trying to keep other fish safe, but the best way to stay safe is if you stay with us. That way, if those other humans who gave you the nightmare come back for you, then we can protect you."

"You didn't protect me the first time. What should make me think that you'll protect me ever again?"

"Because we learn from our mistakes."

Mrs. Puff snorted. "We'll just keep going around in circles. Listen, I'll never trust you humans ever again, and that's final."

The hairs on the back of Chibi-Usa's neck stood. At the same time, Minako whipped around, slashing her sword, a curved beam emerging, slicing one robot in the middle of three stacked atop one another, floating, the robots sitting in tubes like the ones kids sat in when playing in pools. The robot popped like a balloon, and its tube whistled into the sky.

"We'll protect you and your students from these robots." Minako rushed toward the two remaining robots—Tubelets. The Tubelet on the top spun, blurring, and blew a red gas that thrust Minako into Sandy, who was on Minako's heels, about to lasso. The two crashed onto the ground, tumbling over sand, sticks, grass, into the campfire by the tent, enflaming Minako's skirt. Hollering, Minako shot onto her feet, throwing Sandy into the tent. The tent caved in, and several of Mrs. Puff's students scrambled out of the tent, scattering.

Laughter echoed. Dead Moon.

But where?

Chibi-Moon raised her Kaleidoscope, looking for the Dead Moon Circus member.

The Tubelets' laugh mixed with the invisible Dead Moon's. The bottom Tubelet spun, releasing the red gas.

Some screaming students accidentally ran headlong into the Tubelets' gas, and their shoes caught on fire, the fire spreading up their bodies. The tent was aflame, Sandy and Minako rolling on the grass to try and douse their own and the tent's fires. Mrs. Puff's eyes darted, the pufferfish fanning herself more furiously. Where had her earlier bravado gone? Hurrying after the campers, Mercury Harp raised, Ami urged the campers and Mrs. Puff to escape.

Chibi-Usa shared attacks with Sailor Moon, but she could try to launch Moon Gorgeous Meditation on her own, eradicate all three Tubelets in one shot and then find the laughing Dead Moon Circus member.

She'd never tried using Moon Gorgeous Meditation without her mother's help. Now, she had to, and she had to succeed.

She aimed her Kaleidoscope at the three-pronged robots. Drew in a breath—she was going to do this—and then shouted, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"

The campers kept screaming, eyes wide like Chibi-Usa was the terrifying one (why did the fish think that she was dangerous instead of cute?). Sandy and Minako had tangled more than a pretzel, a ball of limbs and fur and flaming tent but had stilled. Breaking out from her stupor, Mrs. Puff beat the flaming tent, Minako, and Sandy with a camp blanket, perhaps worried about only Sandy but saving Minako out of necessity, not want.

The Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope sucked in light from the sky. Her weapon had never absorbed light.

Cackling toothlessly, the Tubelets floated toward Chibi-Usa, somehow looking sinister riding their pool toys. Maybe everything looked sinister when one was vulnerable.

The top Tubelet began to spin.

Resisting the urge to shut her eyes, Chibi-Usa willed any attack to shoot from her Kaleidoscope. Kelp Forest grew darker as the Kaleidoscope absorbed the forest's little light.

Now was not a good time to experiment. She should've launched her surefire Pink Sugar Heart Attack. Her desperateness to prove that she wasn't useless had caused her to take a potentially deadly risk, at not only her own expense, but also her friends'. Accidentally killing herself was fine. Accidentally killing her friends was not.

The Tubelets launched their attack, covering Chibi-Usa's vision in a wall of red.

The human's laughter stopped.

A rainbow, shard-filled beam jetted from her Kaleidoscope. She _could_ launch Moon Gorgeous Meditation by herself.

Her light crashed against the red wall. Chibi-Usa's eyes watered as she struggled to keep the wall back, protect those behind her.

She had to keep going. She would not be a burden.

A wave of water crashed onto Minako and Sandy, dousing the fire. Ami was working, likely about the drench the Tubelets, too. Until a camper tripped and rolled toward the Tubelets' wall of flame. Ami's face fell, and she rushed toward the camper.

A green head, to Chibi-Usa's left. She looked.

JunJun. She'd been laughing.

She stood feet away, frozen with a raised hand as though about to attack.

"What are you doing?" A crackly voice from above. Chibi-Usa kept her eyes fixed on the wall. Had to concentrate on what she was doing.

"They're vulnerable. Kill them."

JunJun glanced at the wall of red, at Chibi-Usa, at the Tubelets, back to Chibi-Usa. What was she thinking?

Maybe that woman was manipulating the Amazoness Quartet, like Chibi-Usa had started to suspect in the industrial park. Meaning, JunJun needed to be saved.

Chibi-Usa was tied up. So were Minako and Sandy, literally, entangled within each other's limbs, despite the fire having been doused.

A pulse of energy from the robots pushed Chibi-Usa back. Hard to concentrate when, nearby, JunJun stared at Chibi-Usa, hands shaking.

"Do it." The voice rattled the earth, and JunJun shut her eyes, shoved her arms toward Chibi-Usa, and roared something unintelligible over the roar of the red wall, the campers' screams. Several white orbs burst from JunJun's hands. Chibi-Usa's pupils contracted. Helios couldn't save her. She couldn't protect herself from the orbs and the wall at the same time. If she fell, the campers and Mrs. Puff would be hurt. The pufferfish would never be able to trust humans again, spelling the beginning of the end of Sandy fulfilling her dream.

Roaring once more, JunJun threw her hands sideways, toward the Tubelets, and the orbs swerved through the robots. The three exploded, their tubes whistling into the distance. The fiery wall dropped like a collapsing skyscraper, sizzling and leaving a brown patch.

Gawking, Chibi-Usa stopped Moon Gorgeous Meditation. The light flew from her Kaleidoscope in white swirls, resembling shooting stars, and filled Kelp Forest with light so that JunJun's aghast face was bright and clear.

JunJun chewed her lip at Chibi-Usa. Chibi-Usa stared, wide-eyed, at her enemy. Her savior.

"Why?" Chibi-Usa said, voice barely above a whisper.

JunJun shifted from side to side. "Because you saved my sisters sometimes? No." She let out a shuddering breath. "Because…I felt like I had to. Compelled to. More than obeying that old hag." Her brow creased. "And when I looked at you, I saw something strange."

"What do you mean?"

"JunJun, you fool!" The voice rumbled like thunder. The sky ruptured, and an old woman's face shone within the gap. Nightmare number five-hundred and three to haunt Chibi-Usa at night. JunJun glared at the old woman. "You've defied our queen."

The color drained from JunJun. "Th-the…" She gulped. Turned and sprinted into the bushes.

"Wait." Chibi-Usa found herself running after JunJun.

Ami called Chibi-Usa's name, but Chibi-Usa ran faster, hoping that Ami wouldn't catch her. Refused to drag her friends into a life-threatening situation, alone with Dead Moon.

She would find out how she was connected to the Amazoness Quartet. The mystery behind Dead Moon might soon be solved.


	51. A Double Mind

**Chapter Fifty-one: A Double Mind**

JunJun crashed through the forest, trampling weeds, grass, vines, beetles, worms. The rational part crammed in the corner of her head insisted that escaping from Zirconia, the queen working through the hag, was impossible. Running appeased the dominant part of her that was desperate to survive.

That girl, Usagi Tsukino—Chibi-Usa—chased her. Not to hurt her but to figure out what the hell she'd done. JunJun would explain if she could.

The Tubelets' fiery wall had been overcoming Moon Gorgeous Meditation, and Chibi-Usa was going to die, accomplishing part of Dead Moon's mission. When JunJun looked at the Guardian, Chibi-Usa had become draped in a pure-white princess gown. The world dissolved into the middle of the moon, with Chibi-Usa standing in front of her and her mother's neighboring castles. JunJun stood beside her, but not as JunJun. She'd been clad in a sailor suit.

A shadowy, mountainous beast slammed down onto the moon. It lunged, outstretching its claws. With Orb Medicine, the same attack she'd used on the Tubelets, JunJun pierced the monster, making it disintegrate.

Somehow, JunJun knew that she hadn't summoned the beast. Had come from one of the Moon Kingdom's enemies. Instead of letting the monster kill the vulnerable Chibi-Usa, JunJun had defended the Guardian.

Kelp Forest had crashed down, jostling JunJun back to reality, where Sailor Chibi-Moon wrestled against the Tubelets. JunJun had seconds to decide whether to let their enemy perish or live.

A force from somewhere deep inside had compelled JunJun to save Chibi-Usa. A force that could be defied, but was so strong, all but pulling JunJun's hands toward the Tubelets, that she didn't want to defy it more than she didn't want to defy the queen, her and her sisters' savior.

She'd endanger her own life to save a _Guardian,_ a girl she barely knew. Because Queen Nehellenia might have lied to the Quartet.

JunJun tripped over a root, scrabbled to remain upright. Had to keep moving, or Zirconia would rend her limb from limb.

Although JunJun had seen the queen countless times, she'd never seen visions of her or her sisters protecting the queen in space, unlike Chibi-Usa. Without fail, JunJun had acted upon and believed the queen's every word.

JunJun had had a choice: to defy her heart or her queen.

She'd chosen. Now she was going to face the consequences.

"Come back here," Zirconia bellowed. Was the hag powerful enough to follow JunJun and attack from the sky?

The area brightened into a clearing. JunJun would be exposed. She swiveled, only to see the one she had saved.

Chibi-Usa slowed into a walk, tucking her Kaleidoscope at her side. "I'm not going to hurt you."

JunJun stepped toward the kelp. Had to melt into them somehow so the hag couldn't see her. "I can't stay here long." Her voice trembled. "That hag, she's ancient, but she's dangerous. She can use the queen's powers."

"I'll protect you, then. Because you protected me." She smiled softly. "I don't think you're a bad person. I mean, the way your sister reacted when I told her that your bosses could be manipulating you… She was hostile, but she hesitated. And then you go and save me."

JunJun staggered, exhausted, surprised. PallaPalla had talked about her time with the Sailor Team and those sea creatures but hadn't mentioned Chibi-Usa's suggestion. Heck, PallaPalla hadn't shown signs of doubting Queen Nehellenia or Zirconia. More loyal and strong-willed than JunJun.

"That can't be true. Their story—our story—makes too much sense." _Kind of._ "Besides, we help the queen out of our own free will." She placed a hand on her heart. "She saved my sisters and I from a life of poverty. Of dying before our time."

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly was your life like before you teamed up with—um, started helping the queen?"

JunJun scratched her head, eyes darting around the black sky, searching for that hag's prune-like face.

Chibi-Usa gestured toward a bush. "Let's hide in there. She can't see you all the time, can she?"

"I don't know, but it's better than standing here, almost out in the open." Although kelp domed JunJun and Chibi-Usa, their leaves drenching the two in darkness, JunJun didn't feel comfortable. Whatever Zirconia could see in that cliché crystal ball of hers, JunJun didn't want it to be herself. _Or Chibi-Usa_. She clutched her heart, trying to stifle the defiance.

"Are you okay?" Chibi-Usa said.

"Y-yeah." JunJun forced herself to move, partly to get her mind off her knowing, mostly so Chibi-Usa wouldn't worry.

She almost buried herself inside the bush but found herself saying, "I'll help you in first." Gasped, covered her mouth. Hoped she hadn't spoken loud enough for Zirconia to hear. As old as Zirconia was, surely, she was hard of hearing.

Chibi-Usa's eyebrows shot up and then she pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Did you learn how to control your face from being a princess?" JunJun had to learn about Chibi-Usa's past, too. To take advantage of and kill her. Not for any other reason.

Chibi-Usa walked toward JunJun. "When did you become so interested in me?"

"Since I saved you."

"You have to have been interested in me before then. This seems so sudden."

JunJun stiffened. Her concern had begun with the vision.

Her queen, she had to save and serve her queen. Earning the Guardians' trust might bring her closer to gaining the Golden Crystal, freeing the queen from the mirror and starting Dead Moon's reign.

Chibi-Usa stopped beside JunJun, and JunJun opened the bush, not breaking eye contact with Chibi-Usa in case her enemy attacked. Chibi-Usa blinked at JunJun, glanced inside the bush.

"I didn't put any booby-traps in there, promise," JunJun said. "I know this place as well as you. Which means, not at all." Hailing from the jungle herself, she felt at home.

Had she come from the jungle? The queen and that old hag could've falsified her and her sisters' memories.

JunJun shook the thought out of her head. She was helping Chibi-Usa only to manipulate her.

Chibi-Usa buried herself inside the bush, stuck out a hand. JunJun stared at it, heart hammering, painful.

If she took the Guardian's hand, then, to the all-present Zirconia, she'd be solidifying her betrayal.

Despite the danger, Chibi-Usa's hand attracted JunJun's own like a magnet. JunJun grabbed the Guardian's hand and let Chibi-Usa guide her inside the bush.

Chirping rung about the bush. The underwater world had bugs like crickets. Like the jungle.

"You never answered my question," Chibi-Usa whispered. Conscious of the hag. "What was life like before you met your, your bosses?"

"You may have gotten away from me this time," Zirconia rumbled like a brewing storm, seconds away from deluging Chibi-Usa and JunJun with water and lightning, "but I will be waiting for you when you come out. Believe that."

JunJun had to come out sometime. She swallowed. Might as well go all-in.

She closed her eyes. Searched for and found memories of the jungle.

For memories, they were clear and specific. One was of JunJun and her sisters lounging around a bonfire, not caring that they could be drawing lethal animals toward them.

"Back then, life was peaceful." JunJun was about to pour out her soul only to gain Chibi-Usa's trust. The hag couldn't be so thick that she didn't realize the genius of what JunJun was doing.

"It was just my sisters and I. Living in the forest." Despite the unsettling clarity of her memories, peace washed over JunJun. Her greatest wish was to live peacefully with her sisters.

Something else tugged at her heart. A desire to be with Chibi-Usa. To be above the jungle, the Earth. In space.

JunJun shook her head rapidly.

"What's wrong?" Chibi-Usa lay a hand on JunJun's shoulder.

JunJun warmed. Shrugged the shoulder off. "Just the old hag, that's all." Lying to Chibi-Usa churned her stomach. "Anyhow," she said quickly, to keep herself from dwelling on the meaning of her feelings, "my sisters and I had to fight to survive every day. Against the animals. For food. Sometimes fight for the same scrap of food as a tiger. That's part of the reason why we insisted on forming a circus, so we could conquer the animals that tried to conquer, and sometimes succeeded, in conquering us."

Like someone was infiltrating her brain, images of striking tigers and lions and snakes filled JunJun's head; of CereCere, ever the planner, etching a map in the sand, a strategy of where and how her sisters would attack and ward off beasts, to reap food. VesVes argued that they didn't need a plan, that they could rush in and destroy the animals. CereCere replied that JunJun had nearly gotten ripped into shreds, rushing in blindly.

"We had to keep moving to a different place to sleep every night." A chill rocked JunJun. Her life had been fraught with terror, moreso than the peaceful parts. "Maybe that's why we wanted to join our queen."

She told Chibi-Usa everything.

She told Chibi-Usa about that fateful day, when her sisters had been performing acrobatics in the forest for an invisible audience, PallaPalla balancing on logs by her hands, JunJun swinging from one thin branch to another, trying not to break them. VesVes prowled for a tiger to whip into shape, CereCere chasing VesVes, pleading with her to not anger the animals. VesVes found a tiger, the one that would be molded into Tiger's Eye.

JunJun choked. Her vision blurred. Chibi-Usa rubbed JunJun's shoulder but didn't apologize. Perhaps she knew about the havoc that Tiger's Eye had wrecked on Sailor Mars.

"It's okay." JunJun brushed Chibi-Usa's hand away. "Tiger's Eye was attacking your friend. Of course she killed him."

Where was her sudden sympathy coming from? She had wanted to maim Sailor Mars.

Before she could dwell, JunJun pressed on. VesVes had hollered instead of riding back to her sisters upon the tiger's back. She lashed the tiger, only for it to charge after her. Stupid VesVes, thinking that she could whip a tiger into instant obedience.

JunJun and the rest of her sisters had run from the tiger, too. Not even PallaPalla dared to fight it.

"We have to stop it somehow," CereCere said.

"No, duh," VesVes barked.

"Don't get snippy with me. You're the one who got us in trouble. You'd better be glad we're not throwing you in its mouth."

Sometimes, JunJun wished that the animals would eat VesVes and CereCere so she couldn't hear their squabbling. "Shut up and think of a way to get us out of this mess."

Near the top of a 200-foot-tall tree, a mirror leaned against the trunk. None of them had questioned why a mirror was in the forest. Perhaps because their memories were false.

Couldn't be. The sisters had been so desperate to live that they questioned nothing.

PallaPalla had pointed to the mirror. "There. We can distract it with that. PallaPalla bets that tigers love their reflections."

VesVes growled. "What a stup—"

"—endously great idea," CereCere finished. Glaring at VesVes, she said, "Besides, it's not like any of us have other ideas."

"Give me a few seconds, and I'll think of one."

"The way that tiger's running," JunJun said, "we don't have a few seconds."

The tiger was crushing underbrush, roaring. Gaining.

"I'll go get it." CereCere leaped, latched onto the tree's bark. Bounded up the tree.

"What're we supposed to do?" VesVes said.

"Distract it." CereCere kept jumping, shimmering with sweat.

VesVes glowered, raised her whip, whipped around, facing the tiger. "C'mon." She lashed the ground, but the tiger didn't slow. If anything, it quickened.

"You trying to make it madder?" JunJun said.

"Shut up. She said to distract it." How bullheaded. All VesVes knew was how to confront.

The tiger leaped, claws outstretched, its eyes blank with rage, mouth wide so every fang was visible. That whip wouldn't do a thing, but VesVes wrapped the whip around the tiger's neck anyhow. The tiger lunged, snapping the whip and continuing its pursuit. JunJun tackled VesVes, and the tiger tore up the ground instead. It turned toward VesVes and JunJun, baring its fangs. Looked like it was focused on VesVes. Maybe it would leave the rest of the sisters alone if they let it kill the beast tamer.

Every fiber in her body may be screaming to give VesVes to the tiger, but she'd never let her sister die for her sake.

A rock pounded off the side of the tiger's head. Pointing and laughing and doing a headstand on a boulder, PallaPalla held several rocks in one hand, rolling back and forth. The tiger dove for PallaPalla, slobber whipping from its maw.

Light flashed from above. JunJun winced and, by the way the ground quaked and the tiger cried, the tiger had been distracted by the light, too, falling and stopping it from raking PallaPalla into ribbons.

JunJun parted open her eyes, trying to shield them from the light with her hand. CereCere dropped onto the ground, raising the mirror. Inside, a woman with wavy black hair smiled, but her pale blue eyes were filled with iciness. Despite her appearance, peace replaced JunJun's fear.

From the moment JunJun had laid eyes on her, she knew she could trust Queen Nehellenia.

Four stones lifted from the ground, glowed, shot into each of the sister's hands, VesVes nearly dropping hers from surprise.

"Fight with them," the woman in the mirror said. "My gift to you for finding me."

Without knowing what she was doing, VesVes hurled the stone like a ball. The stone split into several, pelting the tiger, and it barreled backward. Crashing onto the ground, it slid, uprooting weeds, clouding dirt into the air, and then stilled. Motionless.

The queen had bestowed power upon the sisters. The first time the sisters had overpowered anyone.

"Did I kill him?" VesVes rushed to the tiger. She'd always liked animals, trying to ride them (mostly to her embarrassing and hilarious failure, with animals either bucking her into mud or trying to chomp off her legs so she couldn't saddle or ride any animal again).

The tiger twitched, its frothing mouth open. He opened his hazy eyes.

"Tame him," the woman said.

"But she tried before," CereCere said, "and look what happened."

"I gave you powers to defeat that tiger. There's no reason for me to let you die after saving you."

"I don't want to hurt him again." VesVes had struck the ground, and the tiger's eyes sharpened. Looking at VesVes, he staggered upright. She hurried to the tiger's side, grasped his underbelly and his haunches and helped him onto his feet. She bit her lip and then saddled him.

The tiger didn't buck VesVes off. He didn't chomp off VesVes' legs.

CereCere's eyes widened at the woman. "Who are you?"

"I have come to rescue you from this life. To give you a life of safety and prosperity." Smile widening at PallaPalla balancing on the boulder, she said, "A life filled with fun. Unfortunately, I cannot leave this mirror. But I have someone who will take you to your new home. Follow her."

Zirconia had emerged from the shadows. Had been watching the whole time.

VesVes broke into laughter. Not the smartest thing to do. "This old woman? I mean, look at her. Her wrinkles have wrinkles."

JunJun blurted a laugh. Covered her mouth, cheeks puffing. The hag had scowled. No wonder she still didn't like JunJun and her sisters.

"I shall call you the Amazoness Quartet," the queen said, "because there are four of you and you were found in the Amazon. It's a name that others will fear—I mean, recognize instantly."

CereCere narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'fear'?"

"My own enemies will tremble at the mention of your name. They trapped me in this mirror when I was only trying to help them. They revealed their evil intentions, their selfishness, when they refused to let me help them prosper their kingdom. They wanted their kingdom all to themselves because they wanted to destroy it." Replacing Queen Nehellenia, a gray, desolate wasteland appeared inside the mirror.

"Elysion," Chibi-Usa whispered. JunJun raised an eyebrow but continued.

"This is what they've done to their beloved kingdom," the queen had said. "No sounds. No happiness. No joy. I want to restore the kingdom to its former glory and bring that joy to the entire universe. To do so, I need your help."

"I bet." VesVes jabbed a thumb at Zirconia. "This old hag couldn't help a fly."

Zirconia faced the mirror. "My queen…!"

"Quiet, Zirconia. They'll learn to obey and respect you in due time."

CereCere straightened. "You saved us. What can we do to help you?"

JunJun opened her eyes. Hadn't realized she'd closed them. "That was the beginning of it all," she said to Chibi-Usa. "When we started helping Queen Nehellenia."

"The start of when she enslaved you," Chibi-Usa said. "You might not realize it, but she lied to you more times than I can count. The Moon Kingdom is thriving and will continue to thrive under my mother and father's leadership. She showed you Elysion, which _she_ probably destroyed, not the Moon Kingdom."

"She couldn't have destroyed Elysion from her mirror."

"Maybe she did it before Sailor Moon trapped her inside. Sailor Moon could've trapped her because she destroyed Elysion and wanted to keep her from destroying other places."

"W-well, we're not slaves. We're helping her out of our own free will. Because she helped us."

"What if it all isn't true?"

JunJun clenched and unclenched her hands. "I remember that day clearly. Makes sense that I would." Trying to convince herself more than Chibi-Usa. "We were in a life-or-death situation. Of course I'd remember every detail." Wasn't sure. But it felt like she would. Then again, the Outer Guardians had nearly killed her, yet she didn't remember everything about her fight with them. Back then, the world had been a blur.

Perhaps she remembered much about her and her sisters finding the queen because it was life-changing. No longer did JunJun and her sisters live in neverending fear, one of them keeping watch every night, sleeping in shifts, afraid of the animals ambushing them. The Amazoness Quartet had had fun times in the Amazon, but their lives had been fraught with danger.

"Even if it is true," Chibi-Usa said, "she could've saved you, not out of genuine concern, but because she needed help."

"Are you saying she doesn't love us?"

Chibi-Usa shrugged. "I don't know. Only she herself knows for sure. Maybe she didn't love you at first, but she's grown to love you."

JunJun's stomach swam. Her whole world, being upended because she decided to save this pink-haired squirt, who was wiser and more mature than she looked.

Despite the roiling in her stomach, her mounting anger toward Chibi-Usa for perhaps being right, she couldn't shake the compulsion to stay and protect the Guardian, a feeling that she hadn't had toward the queen.

Chibi-Usa could be manipulating JunJun. But the Guardian seemed genuinely concerned, by the arch in her brows, her frown, her intent gaze into JunJun's eyes.

Maybe JunJun needed to ask the queen some questions.

"Do you know who your parents are?"

JunJun's expression darkened. "You're going too far."

Chibi-Usa drew back. "I-I'm sorry. Family can be a sensitive subject for a lot of people. I shouldn't have."

"No. You shouldn't." Truth was, JunJun couldn't remember her parents. She had always been with just her teenage sisters. No memories of being a child, of watching her sisters grow up. Everything had started with her and her sisters in the Amazon rainforest, playing, surviving. Nothing else. Nothing more.

"The queen became our mother." JunJun's voice was soft.

"She commands you to do things, though." Still pressing forward. "My mother and father tell me what to do, but not the way your queen does. They've never asked me to fight or find a Crystal for them. They've never asked me to put my life in danger. I help because I love them and the Moon Kingdom's people. And I love the rest of the Guardians so much that I want us to live in peace, not endless war."

JunJun glanced at the ground. She'd never seen any mother-daughter relationships. Perhaps she could watch Chibi-Usa and her mother the next time they were together. Their relationship would prove whether the queen was using the Amazoness Quartet or cared for JunJun and her sisters, saving them out of love, not selfishness.

Chibi-Usa cocked her head. "Speaking of family, who keeps talking to you from the sky?"

JunJun tried to dismiss the hag with a hand, but moving any body part was nigh impossible in the bush. "She's somebody, but not related to my sisters and I. Thank goodness, too." She shuddered. "I'd hate to grow old and wrinkly like her."

 _You'll never have to._

JunJun's breath hitched. That voice… It was more like a knowing than a voice. Calling her to something else. Something higher. What could be higher than serving a queen?

Maybe serving Princess Chibi-Usa Tsukino.

 _No. Queen Nehellenia is the only one I serve. The only one I want to serve. She saved us. She's the only mother I've ever known._

"What's wrong?" Chibi-Usa noticed everything. But JunJun didn't feel as though Chibi-Usa was prying but cared.

"J-just thinking about how I'd look if I _was_ related to that old hag." She gagged. "The very thought is repulsive." She forced out a laugh that sounded like a bark. "No man would ever want to marry me, much less come near me." Forced out more mouth-straining laughter.

"I can hear you," roared Zirconia.

JunJun took deep breaths to try and quell the fluttering in her stomach, the bile that threatened to burst over the bush, herself and, most importantly, Chibi-Usa. "Anyhow, that old hag's name is Zirconia. She's the queen's right-hand woman. One of the last and only survivors of the queen's kingdom, Dead Moon." The place couldn't be as evil as it sounded. After all, the queen had a heart of gold.

Chibi-Usa shifted. "Zirconia must be pretty powerful then, huh?"

"Eh, I suppose." The roiling in JunJun's stomach intensified. JunJun had never seen the hag's wrath or power, despite the Quartet almost pushing Zirconia to hurt the Quartet countless times, fear of the queen holding the hag back.

JunJun had a feeling that she was going to be the victim of Zirconia's power once she stepped out of the bush. If Zirconia thought that JunJun had sided with the Guardians, then she'd have a reason to destroy JunJun, something that Zirconia must've wanted to do since she met the Quartet in the forest. Allegedly.

Had to tear these doubts out of her head. The queen had told the truth. JunJun was telling Chibi-Usa to gain the Guardian's trust. Then, JunJun would turn against Chibi-Usa and the rest of the Guardians. A simple yet masterful plan.

JunJun closed her eyes, took a breath. Would have to kill Chibi-Usa quickly. The way didn't matter. Didn't matter if her death was messy. Didn't want her death to be messy. Didn't want to end her quickly. Didn't want to torture her with a slow death.

Didn't want to kill Chibi-Usa at all.

JunJun forced open her eyes, sweat sheening on her brow. Chibi-Usa stared at her. Hadn't taken her eyes off JunJun since the rescue.

"I can't stay here forever," JunJun said, more to herself than Chibi-Usa. "Neither can you." Trying to goad Chibi-Usa into coming with her, so she could protect—keep an eye on the Guardian and her friends. Use Chibi-Usa so that the Guardian's friends would believe that JunJun was on her side. Figure out the Guardians' weaknesses. Sneak back to her sisters and think of a plan. Destroy the Guardians once and for all.

"That's right," Chibi-Usa said. "Come on. I'll go with you."

JunJun's heart leaped. At least she was able to control her facial expression. Hopefully. "We—I mean, I, only myself, I'll have to fight the old hag. Zirconia won't be happy about what I did."

"So you _do_ understand what you did. You had control."

JunJun looked at her hands. Wouldn't call what she did controlling herself. But she'd already revealed too much.

"That means…" Chibi-Usa blinked, not taking her eyes off JunJun. Waiting for JunJun to finish the answer to a question she didn't know the answer to, to a question she didn't understand.

JunJun wanted to tell Chibi-Usa that she didn't know, would possibly not understand for a long time. That she harbored doubts about her and her sisters' meeting the queen. That she felt compelled to remain by Chibi-Usa's side, protecting her from robots and forces that dared attack her and the Moon Kingdom. Would protect Chibi-Usa's friends, too, because if her friends were hurt, then Chibi-Usa would be hurt emotionally, and JunJun's duty was to protect Chibi-Usa physically and emotionally, keep Chibi-Usa happy, even at the cost of her own life.

JunJun finished, "…that I'm getting out of this bush."

Chibi-Usa deflated. After a few seconds of her staring at JunJun but JunJun revealing nothing more, she said, "Okay. Let's leave at the same time. We might have to protect each other from Zirconia."

For the first time in what felt like hours, JunJun's stomach settled.

Chibi-Usa was willing to protect JunJun, too. Like JunJun's sisters tried to protect her.

More warmth blossomed in JunJun's chest. Even though they'd been enemies—were still enemies—Chibi-Usa was willing to take a chance on JunJun.

Here was an opportunity to prove that JunJun was on the Guardians' side. Actually, get Chibi-Usa to trust her more, since JunJun was going to defy Zirconia, the queen's second-in-command.

Curling her lips inward, JunJun reached toward the leaves to part open the bush. Chibi-Usa reached too, matching JunJun's pace. She was going to step out at the same time as JunJun. Not trying to trick JunJun or leave her to the wolves.

JunJun and Chibi-Usa opened the bush. Kelp Forest was nearly black with darkness. Even the Amazon never grew as dark.

"Do you think she'll see us if I use this as a flashlight?" Chibi-Usa raised her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope. It would reflect any light, no matter how little. With the paralyzing, absolute darkness, no light might be in the forest to reflect.

Light sparkled from the Kaleidoscope. Perhaps Chibi-Usa was using her powers to light the way.

"She will. She's already searching for us." JunJun's frown deepened. "I can still sense her." Above, looking. Always looking.

Chibi-Usa nodded. An explosion boomed feet away, and light pierced the bush, searing JunJun's arm and igniting the bush. Grabbing Chibi-Usa, JunJun dove before her brain caught up to her body's actions. Had saved Chibi-Usa again.

The two passed through the burning bush, the flames scalding them, JunJun wrapping herself around Chibi-Usa so that the Guardian wouldn't be burned. Chibi-Usa yelped. She'd been hurt, crushing part of JunJun's heart.

 _Keep her safe._

Who was filling her head with these thoughts?

Zirconia loomed over the forest, blocking the sun, deepening the darkness into almost pitch-black. Only the flames; Chibi-Moon's Kaleidoscope, its different surfaces reflecting the flames; and an outline of Chibi-Usa, her pink hair glowing like a dimming neon light, were visible.

Chibi-Usa and JunJun tumbled on the grass, over branches. The bush burned, and the flames had settled onto the grass around the bush. Spreading.

Because of JunJun's defiance, Zirconia was going to burn down Kelp Forest.

A forest like the beautiful Amazon, where Tiger's Eye, JunJun and her sisters, had called home. The place from which Zirconia had gifted Fisheye and Hawk's Eye to the sisters, not only for the circus, but also because of the queen's insistence that the Amazoness Quartet have pets for their own happiness. Like a mother.

Even if JunJun's memories of her and her sisters playing inside the forest were false, she felt connected to the Amazon. She would not let anyone destroy a forest. Including the queen.

Glaring at Zirconia, JunJun picked herself off of Chibi-Usa, staying inches from the Guardian.

No matter what, she would stop Zirconia.


	52. The Weapon of Mass Befuddlement

**Chapter Fifty-two: The Weapon of Mass Befuddlement**

Minako had to look quite stupid, rolling in the dirt with a squirrel.

She and Sandy had been covered in flames, stopping, dropping, and rolling to no avail. Of course fire in Bikini Bottom would be weird enough to withstand dirt.

Sailor Mercury's water had dowsed the flame, freeing her, Minako, and Sandy to pursue Chibi-Usa and JunJun. Until that camper fell and tumbled toward the Tubelets' fiery wall, making Ami rush after him, leaving Minako and Sandy struggling to untangle themselves.

Regardless of what was happening between Chibi-Usa and JunJun, Minako couldn't fail any of her friends like she had in Goo Lagoon.

JunJun might be luring Chibi-Usa into Dead Moon's lair to pry out information about the Golden Crystal. But by her contracted pupils, JunJun blanching and looking at the sky, where the voice had boomed, she was genuinely appalled at what she'd done. No one was that good an actress.

Chibi-Usa was still in danger, though. Whatever rage Dead Moon's hag was about to unleash, she'd be caught in the crossfire.

To hurry after Chibi-Usa, Ami, Minako, and Sandy had to be free. The camper was bowling toward the lake, Ami flying after him. Minako and Sandy were more twisted than a pretzel. They slipped limb out of limb, only for them to grow more entangled.

"You stay still," Minako said, her hand pushing Sandy's lip, making the squirrel look like she was snarling. "I'll work on freeing myself, so you'll be freed, too."

"Sounds like a better plan than the nonexistent one we had." Sandy stilled, and Minako carefully slid her arms and legs free from under and over Sandy's, slipping her head free from under Sandy's armpit at one point. Sandy's suit should have quelled all scents, yet Minako resisted the urge to cough. Her eyes betrayed her attempt at politeness and watered.

Sandy chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry. All this runnin' around and fightin'."

Minako coughed in response. Hopefully, she would never be stuck under a squirrel's armpit again.

Loosening herself, Minako jumped onto her feet. Looked for any signs of Chibi-Usa and JunJun, the two having disappeared into the kelp. Meanwhile, Ami dove into the lake, where the camper thrashed about.

"Can't swim. Can't swim." He sunk, and bubbles rose to the surface.

Ami shot through the lake like a missile and then dove underwater. Seconds later, she pulled the unconscious fish toward land. Mrs. Puff watched through slit eyes.

Sandy sniffed the air. "I may be a city slicker now, but I'm a country gal at heart. You may be able to take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl." Her brow creased. "With all this char around, I can't catch their scents. Plus, I've never caught that Dead Moon Circus lady's scent before. I have been close enough to smell Chibi-Usa."

"She stinks?" Minako said.

"Probably not to y'all." Another chuckle. "All you humans stink to me. Y'all have so many odors from all them places you go."

Minako crossed her arms. "Sure. Because your pit smelled like flowers."

"Hey, I didn't say I don't stink, too."

"So if you can catch Chibi-Usa's scent, then you should be able to track down her and JunJun."

"Right."

Ami had lay the camper onto his back, near the tent's ashes. She squared herself, mentally preparing herself to do CPR on a fish.

Sucking in a breath, Ami pressed her open mouth to the fish's. Breathed into the fish's throat. Unlocked her lips from his and pushed down on his chest repeatedly. Repeated the process, locking lips before she could psych herself out of it.

Minako wished she had a camera.

The fish's eyes shot open, and the camper flailed. Ami swerved backward, his foot slicing the air inches from her chin. She grabbed the fish's wrists, stopping him from crushing her face with a fist.

"Mm not lettin' you get your grubby hands on me," the camper cried, eyes wild. "You won't turn me into a fish stick, no matter how delicious I'd look next to your fries."

Sandy rushed to the two, grabbed the fish's ankles, stopping the camper, whispering soothing nothings.

"It wouldn't be the first time humans got their nasty hands down here," Mrs. Puff said. "Literally. They almost ate my Eugene as part of their fish fry."

Minako suppressed a question. Yes, humans were terrible. She'd been the victim of humans' selfishness. Everyone had. But humans were great, too, able to accomplish feats that other species couldn't.

No time to argue when Chibi-Usa was in danger.

"We ain't here to eat you," Sandy said. "You recognize me, right? I'm helpin' this good human next to me. If I'm helpin' her, then she's gotta be on our side. Yeah?"

The camper slowed. "Yeah." His eyes cleared. "I-I'm okay now." He smiled at Ami. "Thanks for saving me. Sorry about almost making you headless."

"It's okay." Ami and Sandy released the fish, and the camper brushed dirt and debris off his shorts and sleeves.

"The other campers need saving," Mrs. Puff said. "The robots scattered them around Kelp Forest." She shooed them away. "But go ahead. Save your human friend. You look out for only yourselves anyhow."

Brokenness and resignation permeated Mrs. Puff's voice. Feelings that could be silenced by putting the fish's needs above Chibi-Usa's.

Chibi-Usa proclaimed that she could take care of herself. And she could. For the most part.

The fish could be threatened by the robots; by other members of the Dead Moon Circus; by the hag, her gray face stark against the black, cloudless sky.

JunJun's defiance might preoccupy the hag. Chibi-Usa could be killed with JunJun.

The Guardians' mission was to protect the princess. Even at the cost of others.

Minako let out a breath. The fish were in danger. But her mission…

She pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, but we have to go after our friend."

Mrs. Puff's jaw tightened. "Of course you do."

"Let's go together, Mrs. Puff," Sandy jumped in. "Find these campers as a team."

The brewing storm on Mrs. Puff's face could rival Sailor Jupiter's. "Thank you, Ms. Cheeks." A hedge cutter couldn't loosen her tight voice.

Minako turned toward the direction that she believed Chibi-Usa and JunJun had run in. "We can't track anyone down without you, Sandy, and your nose. Besides, some of the campers might've scattered in the same direction."

The storm on Mrs. Puff's face intensified. "I didn't see them."

"You never know," Minako said quickly, trying not to back down from or rile the pufferfish more. But speaking without riling her up was impossible. Every time a human opened her mouth, Mrs. Puff grew angrier.

"I agree." Ami bounced slightly on her heels, as anxious to go after Chibi-Usa and JunJun as Minako was. "You're welcome to come with us."

"I can stay here and hold down the fort." The camper sat cross-legged in the grass, near the ruined tent. The fort that no longer existed. He spread his arms, closed his eyes. "I'll keep the robots at bay through the power of nature."

Minako raised an eyebrow. Ami rose both. By now, they both knew to question nothing.

Mrs. Puff looked from Minako, to Ami, to Sandy, to the thick trees and vines crisscrossing over the ground where Chibi-Usa and JunJun had trodden. The hag's calls of, "Get back here, JunJun," reverberated.

"I'll go with you," the pufferfish muttered.

Minako brightened. "Thank you. We can't find these campers without you. Besides, they trust you more than us, so they'll be more willing to come with us if you're here, too."

"In case any of the robots come," Ami said to the camper, thinking one hundred steps ahead, "call us."

The camper cocked his head. "With what?"

She placed a finger on her chin. Hadn't thought as far ahead as Minako believed.

He snapped his fingers. "The power of nature. What else?" He walked to a vine, two saucer-sized leaves protruding at the bottom. He plucked one of the leaves, curved it into a bullhorn and blew. A quack echoed.

Ami's expression blanked. "Why does a leaf sound like a duck?" 

"Because, Ami," Minako said.

Sandy sniffed the air once more. "Thankfully, there's not much wind down here. If we start goin' in their direction, I should be able to catch their scents. Plus, they should've left a trail." Parting the vines, she ran toward the direction in which Chibi-Usa and JunJun had gone.

Until she entered the thickness of the tree-like vines, Minako had no idea that darkness could be more complete than in Rock Bottom. Her hands were outlines in front of her face. Thankfully, Sandy's deep sea dive suit was as bright as a beacon. The squirrel ran ahead, but the light from her suit couldn't keep Minako from tripping over roots and nearly barreling into Ami or Mrs. Puff beside her.

Minako tripped over something that didn't feel like anything belonging in a forest. Despite the urgency of their situation, the hag growing eerily, dangerously quiet, she stopped and looked.

A sparkling purple conch shell lay on the ground.

Minako turned, the others skidding to stops. "I found something." She picked up the conch shell, turning it over in her hands. Inside were a string and a speaker. A toy?

A gasp came from their right. "There it is." A man rushed out of the underbrush, clad in a forest ranger's uniform, complete with a ten-gallon hat. "The magic conch shell. I've been looking all over for a new one since that brave sponge, starfish, and octopus came here months ago."

"What happened then?" Ami said.

The ranger's eyes grew distant. "Ah, back then… What a magical time." He hugged himself, sniveling, like he was on the verge of tears. "I wasn't part of that sponge and starfish's club, but they welcomed me with open arms once they found out that I, like them, worship and obey the magic conch."

"This toy?" Minako blurted out. Should've remembered that what was stupid to humans was reverent to the fish.

"It's not a toy," the ranger barked, spit pelting Minako's cheeks. Cringing, she swiped the spit away. His pupils dilated at the conch. "It's something to be worshiped. To be obeyed without question. And you're holding it the wrong way." He snatched the shell from Minako. If she was as rude as this guy was, her mama would thrash her into the next dimension. "It should be cradled, like so." He rocked it back and forth, whispering, "Did she hurt you?" He pulled the string.

The conch spoke. "Yes."

The ranger's eyes sharpened at Minako. "A blasphemous deed. You shall be punished." He gazed at the shell like it was a long-lost lover. "Magic conch shell, what should I do to punish this uncivilized woman for hurting you?" Another pull.

Minako gulped. The conch could be capable of commanding the crazy ranger to do anything. Maybe it wielded godlike powers to force others to do its will. Maybe it could give others godlike powers.

She reached toward her chain. The shell may be a toy, but it was a toy in Bikini Bottom.

"Nothing," the conch said.

Minako gulped back a sigh of relief. Couldn't let Ami, Sandy, and Mrs. Puff know that she had feared a toy limited to one-word answers.

Perhaps Ami wouldn't blame Minako for the leader's trepidation. After all, Minako was responsible for the Guardians' and their friends' well-being.

Another part of her screamed at her silliness, believing a toy to be capable of unleashing destruction. She shook her head of the thought. She'd been justified. Maybe.

The ranger threw his arms toward the heavens. "All hail the magic conch."

"Please, sir, keep it down," Minako said. "We're trying to be secretive."

The ranger held the shell to his chest. "I obey no one but the magic conch. Under its guidance, I've protected Kelp Forest and campers from sea bears, poison ivy, bottomless pits. Even directed them out of caves."

Could that toy really guide people?

Maybe the toy could direct them toward Chibi-Usa and JunJun. The darkness was so absolute that the group couldn't see whatever trail that the two had left. The forest was heavy with not only darkness, but also smells of greenery and wildlife, obscuring Chibi-Usa's and JunJun's scents. Some smells of budding flowers and vines were pleasant. Others…not so much. Minako could tell that animals _lived_ in the forest, unconcerned of how they took care of it. Hopefully, she hadn't stepped in anything. She didn't have another pair of heels.

Minako exchanged looks with Ami and Sandy, grinning at the stupidity of what she was about to say. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Are you thinkin' that we should follow a toy?" Sandy said dejectedly.

"I _am_ thinking and suggesting that. At least until you can pick up their scents or we can see their trail."

Sandy's frown deepened at the shell. "Based on what this guy told us, I'm guessing that SpongeBob and Patrick play with this toy every once in a while."

"It's not—"

Sandy raised her paws. "Sorry, the magic conch shell." She air-quoted the words, rolling her eyes. "Anyhow, SpongeBob and Patrick probably have a club where they obey this shell's every word. A few months ago, they and Squidward went missing in this forest for weeks, not movin' until the shell told them to come out of the forest. Mr. Krabs threatened to fire SpongeBob and Squidward if they didn't come back. I went searchin' for them, found them, and they still wouldn't move. Not even Squidward, which says somethin' about this shell's effect, or power, or however you wanna put it. They didn't look like they were starvin'. But they smelled terrible. Even when I told them they might lose their jobs, SpongeBob and Squidward didn't flinch. And SpongeBob loves his job. Squidward had the sense to pull the cord and ask the shell if they should leave so they could return to work and, y'know, survive in the real world. The conch, thankfully, said, 'Yes'. That was the end o' that. Bottom line is, I'm not sure if this conch has our best interest at heart. Didn't have SpongeBob's or Squidward's."

The shell had to have powers if the forest ranger had protected Kelp Forest and others with it. "I say we follow it."

Ami's face fell. "M-Mina-chan, are you sure?"

Minako nodded gravely. "I am." Squared her expression, trying to look as serious as possible. Thank goodness Michiru wasn't around, or the Guardian of the Deep Seas would ream her. "Let's give it a try."

"A wise choice." The forest ranger gazed at the shell. "Ask it anything, and its answer shall be immediate, divine, from on high, to protect, to sustain, to guide."

"Oookay." Minako cleared her throat. Maybe she had to word her questions carefully so it could understand what she was saying.

A thought nagged her for being stupid. She shoved the thought into a filing cabinet full of thoughts that should be contemplated but weren't because she was busy leading. "How do I address it?"

"In the most respectable way possible. Like this." The ranger kneeled, holding out the conch in front of him but not letting it touch the ground. He stretched his lips, like a cartoon character, and kissed the conch.

Minako would look foolish, kissing a toy. She may be goofy, but she had her pride. Then again, her pride wasn't enough to keep her from kissing a conch if doing so would keep it from commanding the ranger to ravage her and her friends.

Heck, the conch told the ranger how to protect an endless, pitch-black forest overgrown with plants. Its one-word answers must suffice.

"Oh, mighty conch, full of magic and power and love and wisdom and intelligence, I hand you to this young lady, who would like to tap into your limitless wisdom." The ranger held the shell out to Minako.

That logical part of Minako reared up, telling her that she was doing the stupidest thing she'd ever done. A feat, considering the countless number of stupid things she'd done in her life.

The protective part of Minako told her she had to go for it. Even if the conch didn't know, the ranger could direct them. He had to know the forest inside and out.

Minako reached for the shell.

"The knees, the knees." The ranger pointed toward his knees. "Like me. Show the conch that you're willing to submit and obey it."

Minako kneeled and then took the conch, cradling it.

From what Sandy had told them, Minako had to ask the right question to wrest a good answer. "Oh, mighty, magic, wise conch." Would've never thought she'd put those words in the same sentence. "My friends and I are searching for our other friend, who ran deep into Kelp Forest, after our enemies. We worry for her safety, but we believe that you have the answer."

Sandy coughed. Hopefully, the conch didn't sense her disbelief.

"We must know where they went, to save them. We place their lives in your…shell." Minako almost winced. They were placing the lives of their friend, the future queen of the Moon Kingdom, with a toy. If this toy was wrong, then Chibi-Usa could die. A whole kingdom and its residents would perish. The universe would be thrown into war and chaos.

Not only did what Minako was doing seem foolish, but also deadly.

Minako had kneeled to a conch. Might as well see what it had to say. She didn't have to follow whatever the thing said.

"Please, magic conch shell, look into the forest and tell us, where did they go?" She pulled the string. Her breath stopped. The chirping and soft roars of the forest drowned out. The ranger's eyes widened at the conch.

"Somewhere," the conch said.

Minako blinked. A laugh bubbled onto her lips.

Chibi-Usa could be dead, thanks to the time they wasted because Minako wanted to test a toy.

Her face reddened. She opened her mouth, milliseconds away from eviscerating this toy with words and curses and a beam from her chain, regardless of how the Bikini Bottom universe and the ranger punished her. This conch could've cost Chibi-Usa her life.

Actually, Minako could've.

The string was still moving. The conch spoke. "Deep into the forest, almost close to the river." A more specific answer. Minako had had to wait for it.

The conch did have powers.

The ranger's eyes sparkled. "A-amazing. It spoke more than two words." He gawped at Minako like she'd been elevated to a goddess. "How did you do that?" Before Minako could answer, he said, "The conch has given you favor. She sees something special in you. That is why."

"Uh-huh." No need for Minako to sound disbelieving now when she'd possibly gotten an answer to Chibi-Usa's whereabouts.

Ami and Sandy gawked at the shell.

"I can't believe it," Ami said.

Sandy closed her mouth. "I'll believe it when I see it. It's the only lead we have."

The ranger scowled at Sandy. "You don't trust the shell's judgment?"

She shrugged. "I do. Sort of. The only way to find out is to go."

"Follow me." Minako ran ahead. Her allies followed without protest. "Where is this river?" she asked the ranger.

"Just keep going. You'll reach it soon."

Ami had the sense to ask, "How long is this river?"

"About four-hundred miles, give or take a few hundred."

Minako staggered, tripping over the ranger's words. "We might be looking for them all day." A group of clams startled into the air, rustling leaves. Minako slapped her hand over her mouth. Hadn't meant to yell. Now the robots could be alerted to their location.

Made sense for a forest to have a several-hundred-mile long river. Chibi-Usa and JunJun could be anywhere.

"We have to ask it again." Minako tightened her grip on the shell. Sandy hadn't caught Chibi-Usa's or JunJun's scents. They could barely see in front of them. The thickness of the vines and kelp kept them from seeing trails.

Chibi-Usa's life was held in a toy.

Her knuckles whitened against the shell, one of the few things that glowed in this goshforsaken place. "Ooh, mighty conch shell." She tried to keep the frustration out of her voice, sounding as reverent and submissive as possible. "Mighty, magic conch shell, you hold our destiny in your hands." If she puffed it up, it might give her a better answer. "We must know where exactly, _ex-act-ly,_ our friend, Chibi-Usa, is. Please, where, _exactly,_ is she?" She'd ask only where Chibi-Usa was so the shell could answer more easily. JunJun couldn't be far from her.

Minako pulled the string. Her heart stopped.

The conch took a breath. "Someplace here." Its string kept moving. Minako waited. Said nothing more. Its string stopped. No more clues.

Minako wanted to hurl the toy into the river.

"Mina-chan, let me tr—"

Minako was going to conquer the damn shell. "Mighty. Conch. Shell. Where should we go?" Maybe a more general question would work. Pulled the string.

"Somewhere. With leaves. And rivers.

Minako raised the shell, aimed her chain at a tree, about to strike the tree with a beam to ignite it into flames so she could hurl the toy into the fire and watch it burn.

"Please, Mina-chan, calm down."

"No, let her," the ranger said. "She's raising it to the sky in worship."

How could she think that it knew anything about the Golden Crystal if it didn't even know where their friend had wound up? Just for kicks, Minako said, "Magic conch shell"—made sure she sounded sarcastic— "my friends and I seek a Golden Crystal. Tell us, where is the Crystal?" She pulled the string.

"With your friend."

Minako's breath caught. Behind her, so did Ami's.

Did this thing know what it was talking about, or was it messing with them?

"Which friend, mighty conch shell?" Hands trembling, she pulled the string.

"One of them."

Based on its earlier responses, that was all Minako was going to get. She worked her mouth. Had never had any indication that they already possessed the Golden Crystal. "Magic conch shell, where exactly is it 'with our friend'?" Pulled the string.

"Inside."

Once again, Ami gawked at the shell like it was a god.

"Magic conch shell, do we need to get it out of our friend?" Another string pull.

"Perhaps."

One more question, possibly more important. "Magic, almighty, all-knowing shell, how do we unlock the Crystal's powers?" One more string pull.

"Keep dreaming."

Minako wanted to build a shrine and worship the shell. This "toy" had bestowed upon them more answers than they had before.

The hard part would be convincing the rest of the Sailor Team, especially Michiru, Haruka, Setsuna, and Mamoru, that a toy had given them answers about the Golden Crystal. Hadn't been able to tell them something simple, like where Chibi-Usa was, but knew where a centuries-old artifact was.

Minako would have to explain why she was putting her trust in a toy. Her pride, down the toilet.

Ami's Mercury Goggle etched onto her face. "I'll try to figure out what it's made of. It has to be connected to our past lives somehow." Words scrolled rapidly across the Mercury Goggle, the characters looking as baffling as English.

Smoke trailed from the Goggle. Gasping, Ami pressed a button on the side of the Goggle, and the machine winked away. "That didn't go as well as I wanted." A toy had almost fried her ancient but powerful Mercury Goggle.

"Y-you're still in your right mind, aren't you?" Minako said. "I mean, the shell didn't fry your brain too?" The Guardians would be directionless without Ami's brain. Plus, unlike the alleged prodigy, Michiru, Ami wasn't nasty. Neither was Setsuna, but the Guardians needed at least one genius to guard the Moon Princess directly.

Ami looked at her hands, into the distance.

"Ami?" Was her head about to rotate 365 degrees?

"Um…" Ami never staggered over words.

Minako rushed to her friend, throwing the conch shell away. The ranger caught it, shouting, "How dare you defile the conch shell?" Even if the toy was connected to their past lives, she wasn't going to let it harm Ami. Besides, the ranger was from Bikini Bottom. The toy wouldn't have such an effect on him—at least, not more than it already had.

Minako shook her friend by the shoulders. Snapped her fingers in front of her distant eyes. "Wake up. We can't lose anyone to this place." They'd survived so far, remaining mostly sane. 

Ami focused on Minako. Smiled. "Don't worry. I'm fine. I was doing basic calculus and physics drills in my head to make sure. That's why I looked like I wasn't here for a second."

Minako twitched. "B-basic calculus…" An oxymoron. Heck, so-called basic addition and subtraction were complicated to her. "Anyhow, did you find anything out?"

Ami blinked at the shell, hot in the ranger's palm. "A little. It seems like it's gained power from somewhere. Maybe Sailor Neptune is unintentionally empowering it, with her amplified powers and now her powers of godhood. The conch seems powerful in its own way."

"But of course," the ranger said. "The magic conch shell is one of the most powerful shells in Bikini Bottom. And there are thousands of shells down here."

Minako cupped her chin. "The conch told us to keep dreaming to find the Golden Crystal. Mamoru, Michiru, they're lucid dreaming. Any one of them could unlock the Golden Crystal's powers. Maybe it can cure Mamoru's and Usagi's curse."

"We have to let the others know as soon as we finish here," Ami said. "It'll sound crazy." She placed a hand on her chest. "I hope they believe us."

"Please, back me up." Minako gestured toward Sandy and Ami. "Both of you." Not the ranger. Their friends would think that his craziness had spread to Minako and Ami. "We should hold onto that shell."

The ranger held the shell close to his chest. "Nuh-uh. You're not getting your hands on this again. Not after you abused it like it was a mere toy."

"I'm sorry. I just needed to make sure that it didn't harm my friend. Wouldn't you do the same thing?" 

"The magic conch shell comes before all."

Apparently, the shell came before common sense and his brain, too.

"We can't let our enemies get their hands on it," Ami said. "It might know other things about our past lives." She smiled at the ranger. "Mr. Ranger, we'll guard the shell, too."

"With your lives?"

"Uh…"

"Then you're obviously not dedicated to the cause of spreading the good news of the shell. It saves. It saved my life from merely protecting the oldest forest in Bikini Bottom, keeping poachers from killing endangered species, like Alaskan Bull Worms and wild snails. No longer are those giant snails used to make escargot for exotic eating contests." Glaring at Sandy, he said, "No longer are the worms ridden for sport."

"You been livin' under Patrick's rock?" Sandy said. "That worm was gonna end us all."

"Those worms are the gentlest animals on the planet. If it wanted to destroy us, then it must've had a good reason."

Sandy sighed. "Why do I bother?"

Holding the shell to the sky, the ranger said, "By the time we've finished clearing out the robots, rescuing the forest with the shell's guidance, you all will have accepted the shell as your master."

Bikini Bottom was so insane, Minako might.

What seemed like miles away, an orange ball glowed. A camper? Minako quickened, as did the rest of her friends. Mrs. Puff pulled ahead of Minako.

Minako reached toward Mrs. Puff, about to tell her to stay behind for protection, but Mrs. Puff was protective of others because of what had happened to her husband. Minako lowered her hand. The pufferfish wouldn't listen.

"Magic, mighty, omniscient conch shell," Minako said, looking to the shell in the ranger's hands, "who's ahead?"

The ranger pulled the string.

"Someone."

Minako almost ground her teeth but needed to be patient with the wise toy. "Is one of our enemies ahead?" One more string pull.

"Perhaps."

She let herself ground her teeth, wanting to snatch the shell from the ranger and do unspeakable horrors to it. Why had it grown useless?

The orange glow brightened. Someone had set fire to the forest.

Perhaps JunJun was the culprit, trying to roast Chibi-Usa. But JunJun knew that the Tubelets would've killed Chibi-Usa if she hadn't intervened. Why would the Dead Moon Circus member wait to burn Chibi-Usa alive? Unless JunJun wanted to gain information or use her, maybe as a hostage.

The fire was spreading.

"No." The ranger's breathing quickened. "Oh, mighty conch shell, should I put out the fire?" Pulled the string.

Minako tripped over her own feet. "What the hell kind of question—"

"Yes," the shell said.

"How, O mighty one?" Another string pull.

"Water."

"Thank you, magnificent conch shell. I could do nothing without your boundless wisdom guiding me."

Banging her head against a tree trunk all day would be less painful than listening to the ranger and the shell.

The ranger wouldn't be much help, asking the magic conch shell before he so much as breathed. However he'd protected the forest for years, Minako wasn't going to risk anyone's lives because of a toy that knew about the Golden Crystal but knew peanuts about everyday matters.

"O mighty conch shell, how should I gather the water and put the fire out?"

Minako remained focused on the fire, searching for movements from campers.

The conch replied, "Listen, and I'll tell."

"Yes, My Holiness." The ranger hastened. This guy was going to let a toy put him into his grave.

Grabbing a leaf, the ranger vaulted himself into the air. As he squeezed the leaf, water emerged, shot into the fire, dousing part of it.

Wind whistled in Minako's uncomprehending brain.

The conch knew how to fight fires. It knew about the Golden Crystal. It might hold the key to conquering Dead Moon.


	53. Fractured Identity

**Chapter Fifty-three: Fractured Identity**

Instead of focusing on the spreading flames threatening to burn down the forest, Chibi-Usa glared at the sky, where Zirconia had orchestrated the havoc reigning on the ground. Couldn't see the hag now but, surely, she was watching.

Chibi-Usa had listened to JunJun more closely than her own parents. JunJun's memories were too neat, gapless. Artificial.

Perhaps JunJun didn't want to face the fact that her memories of encountering Queen Nehellenia in the Amazon were fake, that her adopted mother was using and didn't care about her. If she did, then her life would be upended. JunJun would have to convince her sisters that all they knew was a lie. They'd think that Chibi-Usa had penetrated JunJun's head.

JunJun looked around. Chibi-Usa's eyes softened. The Guardian had grown up surrounded by love. Had not only her parents, but also the older Guardians protecting her, a confidante and sister in Puu. Even though she was bullied, Chibi-Usa lived a great life. Hadn't realized how good she had it, especially compared to others, like the Amazoness Quartet. As far as they knew, their lives had begun when they were barely teenagers, not with their parents hugging and kissing and playing with them.

Chibi-Usa balled her hands. She could never forgive Zirconia or Queen Nehellenia for taking away JunJun and her sisters' precious memories, memories that would've revealed who their parents were. Joyful memories of spending time with family, not scraping by in a forest teeming with tigers, lions, snakes.

All so Queen Nehellenia could expand her kingdom, preventing Sailor Moon from filling the world with peace and love. Just so the queen could bring dread instead of the hope that the Moon Kingdom promised.

Did the queen want to destroy others' lives because hers had been destroyed? The queen had likely brought her destruction upon herself. Sailor Moon didn't seal people away for no reason.

JunJun ground her teeth. "I have to put out the fire somehow."

If only Sailor Mercury were around to douse the wall-like fire separating the two from the rest of the world. Couldn't see beyond the concrete-like fire and smoke.

Chibi-Usa ran in search of water. Didn't know where she was going, but a lake had been near Kelp Forest's entrance. Had to be another one somewhere.

A resource, ready and willing to help, stood behind her. Even if she didn't like the Guardian, she could temporarily unite with Chibi-Usa for the common purpose of saving the forest.

Chibi-Usa skidded to a stop. "You're familiar with forests." At least Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia had been. "You should know where water'll be."

"Yeah, I should." JunJun was frozen. Her voice quivered. Unsure.

Maybe whether she was able to track down a body of water or not would prove where her upbringing had been.

In a way, Chibi-Usa was manipulating JunJun. For the greater good, but she was doing the very thing that she'd condemned the Dead Moon Circus for doing.

No time to become ensnared in soul-searching.

"Um…" JunJun glanced at the growing flames. She sniffed and then wrinkled her nose. Must've thought that she'd be able to smell water.

"Maybe there's something in your memories."

JunJun scowled. "You just said that my memories aren't real. Are you messing with me?"

Chibi-Usa raised her hands. "No. I mean, there might be a bit of truth in those fake memories. Maybe the queen and Zirconia knew how to find water in forests."

JunJun cursed under her breath. "We don't have time. This fire's gonna burn everything." A note of distress laced her voice. Kelp Forest must truly remind her of home, no matter how fake home was.

JunJun started to run, only to collapse onto the ground.

Chibi-Usa rushed toward her. "What happened?"

"I, I can't move." She struggled about, like she was being crushed by a boulder. "Feels like something's sapped my energy."

Trees bent down, their branches reaching like hands and scooping JunJun up.

Chibi-Usa quickened. Was Zirconia behind the tree suddenly coming alive, or was Bikini Bottom being Bikini Bottom? Was the forest itself angry that humans had unleashed chaos?

Chibi-Usa and JunJun may have to fight both Zirconia and the forest.

Chibi-Usa wasn't an acrobat, but she'd learn to be one now. She took to the air.

The tree wrapped its branch around JunJun, lifting her toward the sky, where Zirconia's glowering face reappeared. The stress, her anger made her look like she'd gained hundreds of wrinkles during the short time that Chibi-Usa had last seen her.

Chibi-Usa aimed her Kaleidoscope toward Zirconia. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" The light from the forest was sucked into the Kaleidoscope, shot in sheets toward Zirconia. The hag reached out a hand, caught the light like it was no more than a baseball. She threw the light back at Chibi-Usa.

Again, the Guardian aimed her Kaleidoscope toward the light. The light was sucked into the Kaleidoscope, blanketing the forest in darkness, save for the light from the flames below.

JunJun reached Zirconia, and the hag snatched the limp JunJun from the tree. Snarling, Zirconia shook her.

Chibi-Usa wasn't flying fast enough. The tree blurred, and Chibi-Usa was flying the wrong way, pain erupting all over. She cried out.

She had been hurled toward the flames, to be burned alive.

She opened her watering eyes, aimed her Kaleidoscope at Zirconia one more time. If she could shoot another wave of light, then she could save JunJun.

Perhaps Chibi-Usa was being foolish. She should save herself; she was going to lead a kingdom. JunJun was not. But JunJun had a purpose, too. Who was Chibi-Usa to say that the Dead Moon Circus member's purpose wasn't as important as ruling a kingdom?

Chibi-Usa shouted a wordless plea for her attack to be powerful enough to defeat the menace above. Light careened from her Kaleidoscope, brightening the sky, showing every detail of the pain lining JunJun's face, every bit of anger on Zirconia's, through the hag's grinding, chipped, stumpy teeth that almost resembled fangs, her creased forehead.

Chibi-Usa barely felt the flames lashing her back. Focused only on Zirconia, whether her attack had made it.

Zirconia raised a hand once more. The hand holding JunJun.

The flames and smoke enveloped Chibi-Usa, and she could see no more.

* * *

That damn hag had stolen JunJun's energy.

Hadn't tried to hear JunJun out before commanding the trees to pick up JunJun. Then again, JunJun doubted that the hag wielded enough power to control things in Bikini Bottom. The way the tree had delivered JunJun to Zirconia, though… Zirconia had gained too much power.

Power that could overwhelm anyone. Like Chibi-Usa.

The pink-haired girl had tried to save JunJun. Had possibly sacrificed her life to save JunJun, falling into the flames while launching yet another light beam.

JunJun had wanted to save the Guardian. Whatever had happened before wasn't an anomaly. JunJun's desire to save Chibi-Usa seemed to be here to stay.

Chibi-Usa's efforts yielded only failure. Now Zirconia was holding JunJun up to be crushed by the train of light.

JunJun barked a laugh at the irony and tragedy of the situation. Chibi-Usa had tried to save JunJun, sacrificing her own life. Instead, Chibi-Usa might have vainly killed herself and JunJun, while the hag would keep making babies cry with her crusty, ugly self.

JunJun didn't let herself close her eyes. She would see the end. At least she wouldn't have to answer to Zirconia or the queen. Yet. Maybe in hell, she would.

"My queen…" Zirconia pointed a finger toward the light, but the light kept coming just as fast. Crashed into JunJun. Felt like she was being crushed by a stampede of elephants. She gave Zirconia the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. Light enveloped her vision, the rainbow beautiful despite her pain. A beautiful death.

The light continued.

And kept flashing.

Shouldn't she have died by now?

The flashing slowed and grew fainter until stopping. Everything was too bright, bathed in a rainbow glow.

JunJun was still held in Zirconia's hand. Breathing in Zirconia's scaly palm. The hag's freezing hands were so dry that they probably cried tears of blood for lotion.

"Why did you let me live?" The hag must've weakened Chibi-Usa's attack.

"Because the queen told me to. That's all." Could those below hear Zirconia's and JunJun's conversation? "I'm not as merciful as her. You'd better be glad." Perhaps the hag liked and wanted to help the queen. Perhaps the queen had promised Zirconia power. Finding out Zirconia's motives wasn't JunJun's job, though. Zirconia was not on her side.

The anger ran like an undercurrent under Zirconia's voice. Life-threatening. Zirconia wouldn't kill JunJun, but she would gladly kill Chibi-Usa. Perhaps Chibi-Usa was dead. If JunJun was connected to Chibi-Usa, then she might have felt a sudden hole when Chibi-Usa perished, like she felt once Tiger's Eye had been murdered.

Even though Chibi-Usa could be dead, the hag was full of anger mainly toward JunJun. She had to quell the hag's anger while keeping Zirconia on her and her sisters' side, convincing the hag that she was still working for Dead Moon.

Which she was, of course.

Growling, Zirconia pressed her repulsive face into JunJun's lovely one. Trying to rub her ugliness on JunJun? "What were you thinking?"

"I'm trying to get them to trust us so they'll give us information."

If Zirconia had hair, she probably would've pulled it. "I told you to _follow me._ Not your own instincts. You let that little bastard live."

 _She's not a bastard. My sisters and I are_. Their memories _did_ seem too neat, and Chibi-Usa seemed genuinely concerned about JunJun, unlike the hag and even the queen at times.

The difference was striking.

To be cared about felt…nice. JunJun cared for her sisters and vice versa, but they were family. Having a friend was different.

Chibi-Usa was not and would never be her friend, no matter how many visions infiltrated her. They were planted by the Guardians to make JunJun protect Chibi-Usa. A last resort to save their future queen.

Did the rest of the Guardians care for one another like Chibi-Usa had shown JunJun?

She shook her head. Had to clear her mind of the mushy stupidity. Most importantly, she had to stop doubting. If the queen was watching, she'd know. She'd take away her sisters and then Hawk's Eye and Fisheye.

"There's a better way." Zirconia jabbed a clawlike finger at JunJun. "Listen to me, you fool, and stop thinking that you're smarter than everybody."

JunJun crossed her arms. "I don't think I'm smarter than everybody. Just you." Hopefully, Zirconia hadn't noticed the bravado that JunJun was putting on.

Zirconia flushed crimson, a feat, considering her gray skin. "Just listen _,_ damn you. Close your trap and listen." She rubbed her head. "I thought CereCere and VesVes were bad, but you _…"_ She rumbled, cementing her as some species that had never been discovered. "The Guardians are not out for your best interest. They will kill you."

"They didn't kill PallaPalla when they captured her. Or CereCere and Fisheye."

"They killed Tiger's Eye."

JunJun winced. Sailor Mars had been defending herself. The Guardians only seemed to kill when others threatened them. Another difference between Dead Moon and the Moon Kingdom.

JunJun was misunderstanding. The queen said that Dead Moon's mission was to retake the universe because the Moon Kingdom had stolen what was rightfully theirs. That the Moon Kingdom would enslave humans.

Filling the world with nightmares wasn't a noble cause, though. The queen wanted to enslave humans, too, trapping them under their nightmares.

She had to stop being wishy-washy. Dead Moon was good. The Moon Kingdom was bad. That was all.

"But they haven't killed anyone else," JunJun said. Defending them for her own and her sisters' survival. "Besides, I can take care of myself." Forcing a scowl, she tucked her hands more tightly under her arms. A gesture that looked defiant instead of like she was trying to shrink into herself, keeping the hag from feeling JunJun's sweating palms. "Why are you so concerned about my being with the Guardians?"

"I already explained it to you. Are you slow, too?"

Not as slow as she was. "And I already told you, I can take care of myself."

The hag let out a breath. "Because, I-I'm worried about you. And your sisters. And your pets. I don't want them to kill any of you."

Perhaps more out of worry for Zirconia's own well-being. "You sound scared."

"The queen will destroy us all if you're killed. Your sisters, Fisheye and Hawk's Eye, everyone. The queen's worried about you. She thinks about you all the time. She's thankful that you're out there risking your life for Dead Moon's sake."

Strange, considering that the queen had never thanked JunJun, her sisters, or Fisheye and Hawk's Eye. Why was the queen telling Zirconia how grateful she was for JunJun and the others instead of telling the group directly?

"They killed Tiger's Eye, and the queen did nothing." Had stayed in her mirror, powerless, as they were supposed to believe. "Was she even angry or sad?"

"She almost clawed her way out of that mirror, she was so overcome with emotions." The words tumbled over one another.

"Right." By the way Zirconia looked at her, with pleading, shaky, filmy eyes searching JunJun's face… JunJun couldn't tell whether she sounded convincing or not.

JunJun couldn't turn her head to see if Chibi-Usa had perished in the flames. "If she's still alive, let me stay with her and the rest of the Guardians. If she isn't alive, well, the others saw me save her. I can convince them that I'm on their side. Then I can pinpoint their weaknesses. Infiltrate from the inside." CereCere would be proud of the JunJun's logic. Perhaps more so at her manipulation. "Seriously. I'll be fine."

Zirconia's face twisted. "I will _not._ " Her voice quaked the forest, and clams flew out of the bushes. If only JunJun could fly.

As a Guardian, perhaps she could.

Tried to shake her head of the thought. If "Sailor Guardian" was in the dictionary, a photo of JunJun would appear under the antonyms.

The other Guardians must've heard Zirconia, JunJun's impending doom. Maybe they would rescue her. A life for a life.

Then again, JunJun might've failed to rescue Chibi-Usa. If the Guardian had survived, she'd be burned severely, rendered unable to fight.

A heaviness weighed on JunJun's heart. Where was this sudden caring for Chibi-Usa coming from?

"Please," JunJun said. "I saved her because, because I thought it'd be better than letting her die. I figured that if I could gain their trust, then we could beat them faster. Then, we'll rule over the Moon Kingdom ourselves. Yourselves." Even though JunJun and her sisters were doing the grunt work while the hag sat around, looking ugly, the sisters wouldn't be rewarded with a lick of power in Dead Moon's kingdom. After being trapped in a mirror for centuries, the queen would hoard it all. A sad fate, but one that JunJun would have to learn to be content with. At least she and her sisters would be safe forever.

Maybe.

Pushed the thought away. These stupid mind games, all because she defied authority.

"You went against our plan, you fool," Zirconia yelled. No longer caring if the Guardians could hear. "We never discussed anything as stupid as saving one to get their trust. It's easier to let them die." Her face contorted further. JunJun wouldn't be surprised if her eyes started bleeding because of Zirconia's grotesqueness.

"I never brought it up because I knew you'd shoot it down. You think you're so great when the rest of us are talented, too. You don't give us a chance to prove it. Just give us busy work."

"I have given you many chances. With your circus. You were supposed to root out the Guardians. They came to you instead. They figured out who you were before you figured out who they were. You had two chances to kill them in Japan. Fisheye tried and failed."

JunJun bit back a response. How could he have predicted that the Guardians would survive on the bottom of the ocean?

"You failed to kill the others, right in your home base, where you had all the advantages of your circus. Hundreds of people around, under your control, primed to be used, but you were so concerned about your own pride, about looking good in front of mere humans—hypnotized humans—that you didn't get their help. Even when it was clear that you were losing. Instead of facing the Guardians, you tried to run away."

"We tried to get them to the bottom of the ocean. You'd know that if you were actually watching."

Zirconia balled her free hand so hard that blood pooled to the surface of her skin. "I wish the queen would've never chosen teenage idiots to help her. She should've let you stay asleep." Her pupils contracted.

JunJun's eyebrows shot up. "Asleep?"

Zirconia pursed her lips, tried to look JunJun in the eye but averted her gaze. Thinking of a lie to cover her slip of the tongue. "I mean, you all were sleeping when she first saw you from a distance."

JunJun squared her expression. Maybe trying to look like she believed the hag would be best. If JunJun revealed her doubts, the queen would let Zirconia kill her. "She didn't wake us up and try to help us then."

"She was…watching you. To see if you could handle what she was going to task you with. Stealing everyone's dreams is a mountainous undertaking. When she watched your prowess in the jungle, your survival skills, how you could manipulate the animals—for the most part—she decided that you'd be best."

Her lies were cementing JunJun's doubts into facts. "Then she wasn't trying to save us because she liked us. She only wanted to use us."

"She liked you from the beginning." Zirconia's eyes darted left. "She wanted to save you. She wasn't sure you could survive with Dead Moon. If the Guardians found our hideout, she didn't know if she could protect you. She needed people who could hold her own against them. Which you can."

"Yeah." Bottom line was, JunJun and her sisters had been sleeping when the queen found them. Perhaps had ordered the hag to awaken them from wherever they'd been sleeping.

Maybe JunJun and her sisters had never been sleeping in a jungle. With JunJun's vision… Maybe they'd been sleeping in space. Near the moon.

Who'd put them to sleep for centuries?

Maybe their sleeping had to do with the Guardians not awakening themselves for centuries after the Moon Kingdom's fall. Without the Guardians, specifically Chibi-Usa, around, JunJun and her sisters hadn't had any reason to live, so they'd been put to sleep. Or had gone to sleep of their own accord, to wake themselves when the Guardians awakened.

JunJun had a lot of investigating to do. She could show her sisters the evidence she'd gathered so they could work through whether their duty was to serve the Guardians or Dead Moon.

She smiled tightly. "Makes sense. I still think that you should let me go with the Guardians, though. I could find out some great things."

Zirconia sighed. "There's no changing your mind. We could keep arguing and get nowhere." Maybe until the hag turned into dust from old age, which might be eons.

"Or you could trust me." JunJun didn't trust Zirconia to take care of a mouse.

The hag shook her head. "I can't. Let you go with the Guardians, I mean. I trust you, but your talents are needed with Dead Moon, and the queen would be devastated if the Guardians killed you instead. With them, you're outnumbered. They might be able to overwhelm me and keep me from saving you."

Disappointment opened in JunJun's stomach. More from not being able to spend time with Chibi-Usa than anything.

She opened her mouth to argue once more, but before she could utter a word, the world blew alight.

* * *

Chibi-Usa opened her eyes. Of course she wasn't in the forest. She'd been enveloped by flames. Destiny couldn't protect her from human fragility.

She stood in the restored Moon Kingdom. People walked about, talking to and laughing with their friends and family. The shops bustled with customers looking at their glass cups and kaleidoscopes and snow globes, eating their ice cream and parfaits and stews. The light of the moon lit their smiles.

She wouldn't mind staying here for eternity.

Some people greeted her.

As queen.

Chibi-Usa gasped. "I-I'm the queen?"

The young man in front of her creased his brow. "You've been the queen." He placed a hand on her forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I am. Yes." She was trying to convince herself more than him. "Sorry to make you worry." A queenly thing to say.

The man blinked at her and then shrugged. He went on his way, taking a bite of his sandwich.

If Chibi-Usa was queen, then her parents were dead. Maybe this heaven wouldn't be as heavenly as she thought.

Based on the way she had to look up at everyone, she was still a little girl. Queen already. May be 900 years old but was filled with naivete.

"My queen."

Before she could turn and see whoever was bowing in front of her, the world exploded into flames.

Definitely not heaven.

People screamed. Dropped their wares. Men shielded women. Some women shielded men. Many scooped children into their arms and ran from the geysers of flames that had burst throughout the moon.

"Your Highness!" The familiar female voice didn't belong to any of the Guardians.

Chibi-Usa was tackled onto the ground. She parted her eyes as a train of fire roared above her. Smoke clouded her savior's face. Chibi-Usa coughed and kept coughing. Couldn't stop. Just like her parents. She couldn't let the curse overtake her, or the Moon Kingdom would have no one to protect it.

The smoke enveloped her and then faded. She lay on a wave of water, and the sky stretched above her, the flames filling the sky with smoke. Had already filled the forest, the vines stretching yards above Chibi-Usa.

"Sailor Mercury?" The smoke made Chibi-Usa's voice hoarse.

"Not a mere human." Who was that? "The conch has rescued you and will save this forest from destruction."

Below stood a fish clad in a ranger's uniform. He held a conch shell to the sky, white-knuckled, like his life depended on it. Perhaps it did. Chibi-Usa's had.

Whatever had happened in her vision, she was glad that Bikini Bottom's physics and rules had finally worked in her favor.

Above, JunJun cried out. Chibi-Usa turned her attention to the hag stretched in the sky, making Kelp Forest darker. Zirconia had squeezed JunJun more tightly.

Not a ruse.

The jet of water on which Chibi-Usa sat began to lower to the ground, thanks to that conch shell. Whatever was going on, Chibi-Usa didn't have time to figure it out.

Chibi-Usa aimed her Kaleidoscope at Zirconia. "Take me up there."

The ranger placed his hands on his hips. "Address the magic conch shell properly, young lady."

She could've pulled her pigtails out and flung them at the fish. JunJun was fading before her eyes. "What's 'properly' mean?"

The ranger gazed at the conch shell. "Ooh, mighty, almighty, mystical conch shell, will you please allow me to take that rude lady up to where the frightening old woman is?" He pulled something on the shell. A string?

Was that thing a toy?

"Yes," came a female voice from the shell. Thank goodness it had granted permission to save a life.

"Thank you, Your Majesticness." He raised the conch shell, and the wave of water lifted in unison, toward Zirconia.

Chibi-Usa gripped the Kaleidoscope hard enough to suffocate. Light swirled inside her Kaleidoscope, but another light joined her. Beside her flew Super Sailor Venus.

Chibi-Usa gaped. "Mina-chan?"

"The one and only. Unless I look completely different to you in the half an hour or so that we've been separated. Which might be the case, the way Bikini Bottom's treated us." Her hair was singed black, and soot covered her face.

"Wh-why are you…?"

"Helping you and, thus, helping our enemy? Because I trust you." Minako's jaw hardened. She did not trust JunJun. Would likely kill the acrobat at any slip-up.

Zirconia's eyes shot to Chibi-Usa and Sailor Venus approaching her. She aimed a finger at the two, and the world grayed, energy being sucked from Chibi-Usa, light flying from her Moon Kaleidoscope, spreading into and illuminating the forest. She flopped upon the wave while Sailor Venus plummeted past.

A Tarzan-like yell came from below, grew closer. The ranger was approaching on his own wave. Minako fell behind him, water splashing.

Zirconia's eyes intensified into a more piercing red. She aimed a finger at the ranger, but the ranger held his conch shell to Zirconia. The tip of Zirconia's finger gleamed. The ranger kept yelling. The wave didn't falter.

Had that conch stopped Zirconia's power?

The Sailor Team couldn't stand against Zirconia, but a toy could.

Lightness filled Chibi-Usa, and she laughed for the first time in what felt like years.

Zirconia roared, a primal noise that shook the trees. Perhaps the woman had descended from a gorilla.

The waves kept moving toward Zirconia. A lasso wrapped around a vine to Chibi-Usa's left, and Sandy threw herself onto the wave, landing on her feet. She outstretched her arms like she was surfing at the beach instead of moving toward a deadly force. Tugging her arm, she unwrapped the lasso from the tree and lassoed the air, aiming toward Zirconia.

"Leave this to me." Sandy smirked. Confident.

Ami, Sandy, Minako, they trusted Chibi-Usa enough to risk their lives for the possibility that their enemy was, in fact, their friend.

Sandy threw her lasso toward Zirconia. The hag pointed to the squirrel, and Sandy flopped onto her back but kept lassoing, gritting her teeth.

Zirconia gasped. Her grip laxed on JunJun, enough for JunJun to heave in a breath, replacing her pallor with tan. Chibi-Usa let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Sandy threw her lasso toward JunJun, the lasso whistling through the air. Releasing another roar, Zirconia loosed a beam from her finger. Sandy jumped, and the beam shrieked under her, the lasso wrapping around JunJun. Sandy pulled herself toward the Dead Moon Circus member.

Energy trickled back into Chibi-Usa. Had started when Zirconia had loosed the beam. Perhaps, when Zirconia focused her energy elsewhere, she couldn't keep others weak.

Chibi-Usa clambered onto her feet and then flew, wobbling from the lack of energy. Had to save JunJun.

Sandy landed on Zirconia's index finger, part of the hag's grip on JunJun. Sandy karate-kicked the fist, and Zirconia yelped, letting out a string of curses, questioning why a squirrel could hurt her. Zirconia's fist laxed slightly but gripped JunJun once more.

Chibi-Usa reached JunJun.

Once more, Sandy kicked. The grip laxed, but not as much as before. Chibi-Usa gripped JunJun's shoulders and pulled, slightly pulling the acrobat from Zirconia's hand.

Another kick. Another lax. Another pull.

A golden beam—Sailor Venus'—sliced through the air. Toward Zirconia's throat.

Eyes bulging, Zirconia used her other hand, about to bat the beam, only for a jet of water to crash into her free arm. She winced, reached toward her throat with the hand holding JunJun, with Chibi-Usa near it, Sandy upon the fist.

They'd be in the line of fire.

"Magic conch shell," Chibi-Usa found herself yelling, "please." Unlike her calls for Helios, the toy answered her pleas.

A pause. The ranger must be pulling the thing's string.

"Okay." The faint voice lifted Chibi-Usa's spirits.

"What should I do?" the ranger implored of the shell while three lives hung in the balance.

Another pause. This time, the roar of the beam drowned out the conch's response.

The ranger chirped like a bird, and clams dove from the sky, struck Zirconia's arm and head. Moved her arm just enough.

Part of the beam sliced the bottom of her fist, where her thumb and forefingers were, and Zirconia dropped JunJun. Chibi-Usa caught the tightrope walker and flew toward her friends and the licking flames that, thanks to the conch's waves, had been mostly quenched. Sandy jumped, lassoing a vine at the last minute to keep from splatting onto the ground. Landed on her feet.

The rest of the beam ripped the top of Zirconia's throat. Blood sprayed, splattered on the vines and the grass, so dark that it looked like viscous black liquid. Good for the innocent fish.

Zirconia shrunk into a dot. Retreating.

A light sparked where Zirconia had been. The hag was gone. For now. No doubt she'd return with a better plan to defeat the Guardians.

Chibi-Usa ground her teeth, straining with carrying JunJun. The weight lessened. Minako and Ami had slung JunJun's arms across their shoulders. They lowered JunJun to the ground. Let her lay and rest. Gave her the chance to attack.

JunJun blinked slowly, staring at the Guardians. "Why?"

Minako didn't soften her expression. "You saved our friend, so we saved you. But just because we saved you doesn't mean we trust you completely."

JunJun bit her lip, breaking her gaze from Minako.

The ranger joined them, polishing the conch shell. The waves were gone, too.

"Where did all the water go?" Chibi-Usa said.

"Back to the forest's lakes, where they belong. Thanks to the magic conch shell, we were able to harness the power of the forest and scare that cretin away." He shook a fist at the sky. "She'll be in bigger trouble if she shows her face again."

What a powerful toy.

JunJun stood. Minako's sword-wielding arm twitched.

JunJun raised her hands. "You saved my life. Why would I hurt you?"

Minako darkened. Chibi-Usa didn't blame their leader for not trusting their enemy right away.

Sandy was tense, too. Stood a bit farther back than Ami and Minako from JunJun. Confident while fighting, but not when facing PallaPalla's sister.

Chibi-Usa smiled for everyone's sake. "We have a long road to travel. We haven't even found Mrs. Puff's campers. And there are plenty of robots still around."

"I'll stay in front," JunJun said. "So you all can watch me." She walked ahead.

Side-eyeing the conch shell, Minako said flatly, "Where do we go from here, O mighty conch shell?"

"Forward."

Chibi-Usa fell into step beside JunJun. Moving forward was all they could do.


	54. A Queen's Policy

**Chapter Fifty-four: A Queen's Policy**

Zirconia did not want to go anywhere near the mirror, so she stayed at the other end of the Dead Moon Circus' tent. The queen knew what had happened because she'd commanded Zirconia to save JunJun. She had not been pleased with what she'd watched.

Whenever Zirconia had dared to venture inside the mirror to face the weakened queen, she'd raked Zirconia into shreds.

At least Zirconia could keep the robots in her back pocket. They owed her; she'd whisked away the D3000 and the robot's leader before Sailor Neptune's attack could eradicate them.

Those teenage girls had failed, not Zirconia. The ringmaster had done her best with the little she'd been given. After all, the Amazoness Quartet were weak from slumbering in asteroids for centuries. Were still slumbering because they weren't fulfilling their destinies. At no point could the girls find out, making JunJun's defection to the Guardians more alarming.

Zirconia couldn't leave the queen alone. The queen would know. She was connected psychically to Zirconia, the Amazoness Quartet, and the Amazon Trio. There had been no hiding Tiger's Eye's death. Zirconia and the queen had felt his presence disappear. Which left Zirconia explaining Tiger's Eye's incompetence.

When things went wrong, Zirconia was left picking up the pieces.

Zirconia wanted to blame the queen for their kingdom's imploding before their eyes. If she did, she wouldn't leave that mirror alive.

She sighed. Might as well get her reaming over with.

Zirconia walked past the parrots, tigers, jaguars, gorillas screeching and howling and pounding against the cages. She stepped before the mirror that leaned on the tent. Let out a breath but remained tense. The queen would have her head.

Zirconia reached toward the mirror and uttered the chant, a lullaby that the queen, from the dark side of the moon, had heard Queen Serenity sing to the Moon Princess. A reminder of the mother Queen Nehellenia never had, of the Moon Kingdom being full of brightness and love, while Dead Moon was full of lifelessness and silence. More encouragement for Queen Nehellenia to deaden the Moon Kingdom.

The mirror liquefied, and Zirconia stepped inside. Darkness reigned, the way the queen liked her world.

The area darkened, becoming nearly pitch-black. No wonder the darkness of Kelp Forest hadn't bothered Zirconia. At least Queen Serenity had afforded Queen Nehellenia the luxury of choosing the decorations of the place that she'd be sealed in for millennia. It was teeming with skulls from those the queen had slaughtered while trying to overtake the Moon Kingdom.

Zirconia passed through a curtain, into a room with heaps of skulls lining the walls, stone on the ground instead of carpet, a throne at the back, where the queen sat, erect. Zircon was perched on the throne's back, the eyeball's wings spread, making the throne look more majestic. The throne was barely tall enough to contain Queen Nehellenia, her wavy black hair draped over its back. Her silks covered her legs and pooled on the floor, and her ice-blue eyes glinted in the darkness alongside the obsidian jewel upon her forehead. In her kingdom, the only light came from her.

"My servant." The queen stood, nearly dwarfing Zirconia. Her silks and her hair rustled upward. Zircon fluttered onto the queen's shoulder instead of Zirconia's. Even the eyeball knew how much trouble Zirconia was in.

Thanks to the replica of the Silver Crystal clutched in the queen's hand, the queen had seen everything. She didn't always watch—she'd told Zirconia that she trusted her servant. She might not trust Zirconia anymore.

The queen smiled. A chill rocked Zirconia. Foolish to think that the darkness would cover her shaking hands and sweat beading on her brow. The queen could see better in the dark than in the light.

"You've returned." She tightened her grip on the replica. "Would you mind telling me everything that happened?"

Zirconia gulped. The queen's eyes slid to her neck, watching the apple bob.

Zirconia told the queen about her meeting with the Quartet and the Trio. Told the queen that she'd gone to Kelp Forest to watch how the Quartet was doing. Then JunJun had saved Chibi-Usa's life.

"She defied you, Your Majesty." If Zirconia kneeled, would the queen be more merciful?

The queen's expression hardened. "You defied me, too."

"Y-Your Majesty?" Zirconia had done everything that the queen would want.

"I built the Amazoness Quartet into who they are, to obey my every whim. To help us, no matter what. Yet you tried to kill one of them. I don't care that she defied me. It is my punishment to give, not yours."

Zirconia bit her lip, glanced at the stone floor. Queen Nehellenia hadn't done a good job of "building" the Quartet if one had defied Dead Moon. She dared not voice her thoughts, or the queen would throw the ringmaster through the gates of hell herself.

"Continue."

Zirconia continued, her words jumbled. Told the queen about her search for JunJun and Chibi-Usa in the forest, to kill them both.

"You should've killed Sailor Chibi-Moon first. Instead, you focused on our own ally, one who could be…persuaded to return to our side."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, but she could've defied us again. That seed would always be there."

"The sisters greatly influence one another. The other three could convince her to, once again, swear loyalty to Dead Moon. And I would use my own methods to bring her back to our side. Now, I want no more talking back from you. You've failed. You have no right to give suggestions now."

Zirconia continued, the words barely intelligible to her own ears. Told the queen about the rest of the Guardians dousing the fire.

"You seem to be forgetting the others. The ones who almost killed you."

Sweat cascaded down Zirconia's neck. "A toy…and a squirrel, they, well, the toy was supernatural. They're more powerful than the Guardians, those, those things under the sea."

The queen pursed her lips. "I see." Her voice was barely audible. Not good. The lower the queen's voice became, the more dangerous she grew.

If the Guardians and those animals were inside the mirror, the queen's home territory, then Dead Moon could overpower them.

Finally, an idea to get Zirconia back in the queen's good graces. "Your Majesty, let me lure them here. No one can stand against you in your home."

A grin stretched on the queen's face, her white teeth glinting. "I can kill them here, and the Moon Kingdom will be mine." Her expression hardened once more. "This is your last chance, Zirconia." She said nothing more. Didn't have to.

Why was Zirconia being threatened when the Amazoness Quartet had failed more often than she had? She bit her tongue to keep from risking her life more than she had.

If Zirconia lured JunJun inside the mirror, then Chibi-Moon would follow. By extension, the rest of the Guardians would come.

Perhaps Zirconia could use VesVes. She was hot-tempered but wielded power over the beasts. She'd been trying to tame the beasts in Kelp Forest. Had to check if she'd succeeded.

Not only did Zirconia have to keep the Amazoness Quartet from discovering anything more, but she also had to keep JunJun from awakening.

Everything rested on Zirconia's shoulders. Yet she could not fail.

* * *

Behind Ami, Mrs. Puff walked away, a camper alongside her. The pufferfish had remained mainly idle as the Guardians fought Zirconia and the flames. Had rescued a camper but hadn't tried to help the Guardians, the ranger, or Sandy.

Once Zirconia retreated, Mrs. Puff huffed and took the camper with her, throwing off Ami's offer to escort the two back to camp. Leaving only her, Minako, Chibi-Usa, Sandy, the ranger, the conch shell, and JunJun.

The way Zirconia had suffocated JunJun, the Dead Moon Circus member truly had turned her cloak. Just because she'd defied Dead Moon didn't mean that she was aligned with the Guardians. She might be using the team as protection since they were powerful enough to stand against Zirconia.

Well, Sandy and the conch shell were.

Ironic that, when Squidward, SpongeBob, and Patrick had been stuck in Kelp Forest, not fighting supernatural forces, the conch had directed them to do nothing. Had almost let them die of starvation. No one so much as urinated without the conch's command.

Yet the conch had saved the forest from burning down and helped rescue the group from Zirconia.

Not to mention, the sea creatures and Sandy were immune to Zirconia's attacks.

Who knew why? Whatever traits the animals possessed were enough to fight superpowered beings. Could they face Dead Moon's queen, too?

Maybe the Guardians could pry information about Dead Moon from JunJun. If the Dead Moon Circus member was willing to tell them anything, then she'd prove that she was on their side.

Or JunJun could lie to them about Dead Moon, putting them in more peril.

"I have no doubt that she'll come after us again," Ami said, partially to break the silence, partially to gauge JunJun's reaction.

JunJun stiffened. "Yeah." Clenched and unclenched her hands, letting out a shaky breath.

Minako raised an eyebrow. "So, what's your deal?"

"I can tell you a bit," Chibi-Usa said.

"I don't want you to. I want to hear an explanation straight from the horse's mouth."

Chibi-Usa bit her lip. Nodded.

JunJun rubbed her purpling arm. "I told everything I know to your precious princess here."

"Apparently, she's your precious princess, too."

JunJun's breath hitched. "Yeah." She rubbed her arm again. And then talked.

She told them about her ongoing compulsions to save Chibi-Usa, her memories of the Quartet's time in the Amazon. When she finished, silence descended.

Despite the urgency of saving Kelp Forest from the robots, they needed to take time to search for holes in the story. Of which there were many. For one, their memories started when they were teenagers, not when they were children. Memories of their parents were nonexistent.

"I know you all are gonna bombard me with questions." JunJun kicked at the grass. "I might not have the answers."

"She told me everything she knows," Chibi-Usa said. "She didn't know much beyond her memories. And I believe her."

Minako squared her expression at Chibi-Usa. The smaller Guardian looked into Minako's eyes, not backing down.

Had to break the tenseness. "I wish I could ask Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia questions," Ami said. "They seem to know more than you."

Minako balled her hands. "I wish I could punch Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia. Seems more important than asking them questions right now."

The ranger gazed at the toy he cradled in his arms. "We should ask the magic conch shell. She can tell us what to do."

"Not the time."

"It's always the time. The magic conch knows all."

"He, he might be right." What was Ami saying? Had Bikini Bottom corrupted her so much that she was now putting her trust in a toy?

Yes. Yes, Bikini Bottom had.

Minako massaged her forehead. "You guys have made killing moments an art form. This might be more than something a damn shell knows about."

The ranger glowered. "How dare you insult the magic conch shell?"

"I mean, let's think things through before we ask it anything."

"Maybe we should ask the shell." Was a different version of Ami talking? "She did tell us about the Golden Crystal."

Minako groaned. "When you put things that way… Ooh, mighty conch shell, tell us, what should we do?"

The ranger pulled the string. "Something," it said.

She faltered. "Okay. Good stuff. Let's not waste any more time."

"Mighty conch shell," Ami found herself saying—was this Ami Mizuno, who wielded an I.Q. of 300, seeking counsel from a toy?—"where should we go?"

Smiling at Ami's reverence for the toy, the ranger pulled the string. "Somewhere."

Minako growled. "How did it know so much before—"

"Deep into the forest," the conch continued, its string still retracting. "To the caves." Its string stopped.

The ranger held the shell to the sky. "The mighty conch shell has spoken." Poking his tongue between his teeth, shaping his mouth into an "O", he howled, "Alolololololo!"

"What the hell was that?" Minako said.

"It's the call of worship of all who believe in the magic conch shell. As followers of the shell, you must also do it, for the conch shell has spoken. Or she shall grow angry and no longer answer your questions."

Sandy, Minako, Ami, and Chibi-Usa exchanged looks.

"It _does_ know a lot of answers," Ami said.

"We've been through more humiliating situations," Minako said. "I might as well have flushed my pride down the toilet the moment I stepped in Bikini Bottom."

Sandy rubbed her ear. "SpongeBob and Patrick kept me up all night once with their howlin' like that. I told them to stop, and they asked that darn shell if they could. It told them they couldn't. I asked them to have the courtesy to go someplace other than my backyard with that noise. They asked the magic shell, and it told them to stay right where they were and keep annoying me more than ten thousand gnats buzzing around your ear. Needless to say, there's no love lost between me and that goshforsaken thing."

The ranger's face reddened. "How dare you all? The shell saves lives."

"The least we could do is do the…whatever that was," Chibi-Usa said.

The team glanced at one another once more, silently asking if they were really going to howl like monkeys.

They were.

On three, they howled. JunJun stared at them, mouth parted. She covered her mouth but spit out laughter. Doubled over. Her face grew as red as the ranger's had.

The ranger scowled. "What're you laughing at? This is a solemn ceremony."

JunJun's laugh grew louder, and she sunk to the ground.

Heat spread through Ami. _Our call can't be that funny._ Would Setsuna laugh, too?

Tears flowed down JunJun's cheeks. Ami warmed. Everyone needed to laugh. Besides, JunJun wasn't laughing because she'd done something malicious. She was laughing because she was watching a funny situation, one that harmed nothing but the Guardians' and Sandy's pride.

"You need to do it, too," the ranger said.

JunJun kept laughing. Swiping more tears, she said, "I'll, I'll try." She managed to stop laughing. Looking to the sky, she got on all-fours and howled like a wolf. Laughed once more. Laughed and howled.

Chibi-Usa's face had flushed either from howling, embarrassment, or a combination. Her eyes watered. The call _was_ harder to do than it sounded. "When can we stop? The robots have got to be able to hear us."

"The conch shall protect you," the ranger said.

JunJun broke into more laughter.

"Magic conch shell, shall they cease to praise you?" A pull.

"Yes." How merciful.

The group stopped, Chibi-Usa collapsing on the ground, but JunJun kept laughing, rolling in the dirt. Ami panted.

Minako tugged at her collar. "My lungs. They're dying."

Fanning herself, Chibi-Usa smiled at the laughing JunJun. "It's been a long time since you've laughed like this, hasn't it?"

JunJun stopped laughing, squaring her expression but then letting herself smile. "Maybe." Perhaps she'd been under Dead Moon's command for so long that she had never laughed except at someone else's harm.

JunJun tried to glare but kept smiling. "You are too damn smart. Seeing through me."

"Maybe it's because we really are connected in some way."

The smile disappeared. She turned, away from Chibi-Usa. "Where's this cave?"

The ranger pointed into the darkness. "This way. Let us follow the conch's command at once. For we have praised her, and she is pleased. Therefore, we can continue our journey."

"Thank the gods," Minako muttered.

The group ran forward. With a knife, the ranger hacked through vines. They pounded through robots, JunJun pouncing on and breaking them using her acrobatics, despite the threat of Zirconia's return. Perhaps Dead Moon planned to trick the Guardians.

They reached a bridge on a high platform. Below, on another platform, stood Mr. Krabs, three large pedestals resembling Stone Tikis and arranged like a three-leaf clover, and one lone Stone Tiki beside him. The crab hooked his claws under the Stone Tiki. Roaring, Mr. Krabs hoisted the tiki toward the sky. He threw the Tiki onto one of the embedded Tikis, and the pedestal depressed.

What did it activate?

Ami looked around the forest, which had opened up like the sky after a thunderstorm, revealing a lake below the cliff on which the group stood, several towering vines planted in the lake. Other cliffs and crevices jutted between the vines, where Fodders and Fodder-like robots but without electric wands, BZZT-Bots, wheeled about. Must be campers stranded on the cliffs, too.

Nothing rumbled. No avalanches of leaves billowed down the sloping kelp walls. All remained quiet, save for the chirps of cricket-like bugs. Ami had crouched and looked to see the bugs and other wildlife that resided in the Forest. She hadn't seen any animals. Had the robots scared them away?

Rolling his shoulders and panting, Mr. Krabs faced the group. "Looks like I still have me old muscles. The military served me well. Good thing I went there instead of college." He snorted. "Plankton went to college, and look where he is."

"Howdy, Mr. Krabs." Sandy nodded toward the depressed pedestal, the Stone Tiki upon it blinking. "Y'all should've participated in our Anchor Toss."

"The competition that SpongeBob embarrassed himself in?" Mr. Krabs tried to wave his hands dismissively but cringed. "I need to get back to the gym. Where's Larry when you need him?"

"Maybe…you don't got it?"

Mr. Krabs bristled, puffed out his chest. "Of course I still do. Once a soldier, always a soldier. Besides, I didn't want to participate. I was afraid I'd blow the competition out the water. Wanted to give someone else a chance to win."

"Uh-huh."

"What wars were you in?" Ami said. "Any places you toured in?"

Mr. Krabs' eyes grew distant. "I was in the Navy. What good days those were. Savin' money while savin' me country. Meetin' good folks who became future Krusty Krab customers."

"Is everything about money to you?" Minako mumbled.

"The wars I fought in, they were tough. Full of enemies and dangers. We sailed the seas of Bikini Bottom, defending it from human hands trying to stick us with forks and fry us into fish sticks. We defended the sea from the hooks, batting them back onto the surface, wrapping humans' boats with them." He glowered at the surface. "We're always at war with the humans. We've never been to war with anyone in the sea."

The underwater world was more peaceful than the world above ground, so much so that no one ever warred against one another. The humans could take a page out of the sea creatures' book.

Minako shifted from side to side. "No wonder you're suspicious of us."

"Used to be," Mr. Krabs said. "You've proved yourself to me so much that you're invited to me Krusty Krab as a reward for protectin' our great land from the robots. I'll give you a one-percent discount on a kiddie Krabby Patty, bringing the grand total to fifteen dollars."

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome. Ain't I generous?"

"Always." Minako gestured toward the pedestals. "Anyhow, what's this about?"

Mr. Krabs jumped on one of the pedestals. Kept jumping, grinding his teeth, veins protruding from his forehead, but the pedestal didn't depress. "Darn things are heavy. Only Stone Tikis can push them down."

Ami bit her cheek to keep from suggesting that more of them stand on the pedestal to depress it. Not only was she unsure if all of them could depress both pedestals at the same time to activate whatever needed to be activated, but she shuddered at the possibility of unleashing beasts or a tsunami.

Mr. Krabs swiped the sweat off his brow, stepping off the pedestal. "These pedestals open the way to Kelp Cave."

Ami backed to the edge of the surface, gazing up. They could fly to reach the surface where the cave was, but thick, tangled vines curled over the entrance. With the way Bikini Bottom operated, the Guardians' attacks might not be able to rip through the vines.

"Rumor has it that there's jewels in there." Mr. Krabs salivated. Jolted, seeming to catch himself. Turned, his back to the group, and wiped his mouth. His forehead glistened with more sweat. "I get those jewels, I'll be rich. I'd love to get inside, but I can't find the rest of the Stone Tikis. Usually, you can find them everywhere, but not in Kelp Forest."

"The robots could've taken them," Ami said. "Maybe they're using the cave as one of their labs."

Sandy tightened her clench on her lasso.

Minako drew in a breath and then let it out. "We have to get in there. As soon as possible."

"You haven't seen any robots shaped like fish come outta there, have you, Mr. Krabs?" Sandy said.

"I haven't seen anything." He rolled up his sleeves. "If those robots think they're gettin' all the treasure, they've got another crab comin'. Greedy things can't have the treasure all to themselves."

Minako's expression blanked.

"What would robots do with jewels?" Chibi-Usa said.

"For all we know," Minako said, "they could be making robots out of jewels. Trying to make them nigh indestructible."

Sandy coughed lightly. "Maybe the jewels are in the robots themselves, like I was."

"Patrick wasn't," Ami said. "All they did was analyze him."

"I feel like they're becoming more powerful, as far as building robots goes," Minako said. "Like, their technology is becoming more advanced, way too quickly."

Ami nodded. "Technology advances quickly, but not as fast as it has down here." Even in the innovative Japan, technology didn't advance within the span of a few hours, like it had in Bikini Bottom.

"As chaotic as the robots are, they're smart. They're driven by something. Someone. Someone has to be leading them, especially if they're programmed to do different things. Not necessarily follow orders, since the Duplicatotron is set to 'Not Obey', but maybe someone's been programming them."

"It's possible. The robots are brainless, but I feel like they're trying to get somewhere. Take over Bikini Bottom in stages." Ami cupped her chin. "Who could be leading them?"

"I have an idea," JunJun said. Either she was about to expose her enemies, further defying Dead Moon, or she was going to send the Guardians and Sandy on a wild goose chase.

"What is it?" Chibi-Usa and Minako said at the same time, Chibi-Usa's tone softer, Minako's sharper, a knife trying to cut through the dross to reach the gold.

JunJun looked to the sky and took in a breath. "Well—"

The world quaked. The group looked around. The timing was too convenient. Must be orchestrated by Zirconia. Perhaps she could control what happened here from the safety of Dead Moon's tent.

"Do you get earthquakes?" Chibi-Usa said, voice shaky from the rumbling, fear.

"There are never earthquakes down here." The ranger held the conch shell close to his chest. "This shaking could mean only one thing."

"What?" Chibi-Usa and Minako said at the same time, both of their voices sharp, Chibi-Usa's eyes wide, Minako unhooking her chain.

Like fireflies, red lights glowed through each of the vines, accompanied by high-pitched laughter. Of course JunJun wouldn't come to Kelp Forest alone.

Roaring boomed from the vines, sounding like feral cats roaring their meows.

Down here, snails meowed.

Snails nearly matching the size of King Jellyfish burst from the vines, the vines crashing to the ground. Slid straight for the team.

Their red eyes glowed in the dark. Their shells alone were quadruple the size of Gary.

If the sea snails sliding after them were as smart as Gary, then the Sailor Team was in trouble.

Atop the snail leading the charge rode VesVes, whip high, baring her teeth, eyes wild. She was the one laughing.

VesVes lashed the top of the snail's head, and the snail screeched. "No killing with kindness bull here." She grinned at the sky. "See, old hag? I told you I could control these beasts."

The feral snails loomed over the Guardians, their yellowish-red fangs bared. Hopefully, those fangs weren't covered with gore from other creatures they ate to survive.

Perhaps the animals hadn't been roaming throughout Kelp Forest because VesVes was busy taming them.

Mr. Krabs squeaked, his eyes sucking into their sockets so that the crab appeared eyeless. "Shiver me timbers." There went the fearless crab who had warred against humans.

Behind VesVes' snail, another snail's shell opened. Metal gleamed under it. Were the snails robots?

Based on the way VesVes was cackling, how her whip commanded the snail she rode upon, the way drool whipped from the snail's mouth, her snail was real. Perhaps the other snails were robots. Perhaps the robots had used their labs to outfit the snails with robotic parts, like cyborgs, and programmed the snails to obey VesVes.

Meaning, Dead Moon and the robots had teamed up.

The ranger ran ahead of the group, spreading his arms. "Where's your manners? This isn't the way to greet guests."

VesVes' snail reached the ranger, crouched so that its mouth aligned with the ranger's face. The snail roared, spittle and phlegm pelting the ranger at first and then disintegrating his hat, his cheeks, his clothes, blowing back his mouth, leaving the ranger naked and all bones, a skeleton.

With a roar, the snail had disintegrated the ranger.

With a roar.

If the snails could nearly kill a guy with a roar, what more were they capable of?


	55. Parthian Shot

**Chapter Fifty-five: Parthian Shot**

Sandy tightened her grip on her lasso, her heart leaping. Nothing like a bit of nervous excitement and adrenaline to get the heart pumping.

She hadn't seen any varmint as mountainous as the three charging feral snails since she and SpongeBob had fought the Alaskan Bull Worm.

Usually, the squirrel could tame beasts with her lasso, but VesVes was commanding the snail up front. Maybe Sandy could tame the other two. Anything to keep the Dead Moon Circus from hijacking anyone else's dreams.

The ranger stepped beside Sandy, holding the conch shell to the sky, pupils dilated, chanting, "Abbababbazeebadodah, abbababbazeebadodah…"

Minako slowly turned her head to look at the ranger. Chibi-Usa slowly raised an eyebrow. Ami's expression slowly blanked, as if trying, one more time, to figure out Bikini Bottom's idiosyncrasies.

Seemingly having not heard the ranger's chant, JunJun stared at her sister, eyebrows arched. Perhaps wondering if VesVes was after her instead of the Guardians, especially after turning her cloak like a thief in the night.

Whatever VesVes did depended on that creepy lady who lived in the sky and in another dimension simultaneously.

The ranger kept chanting, but the conch shell didn't glow, tremble, or tame the snails. Since the conch wasn't doing anything, Sandy rushed toward the snails.

VesVes cackled. "You think you'll be able to stand against my beasts?"

JunJun remained frozen, mouth parted. "VesVes, you…"

"Let me unconfuse you and show you that these people aren't our friends and never will be." Her voice darkened. "Remember what they did to our queen."

JunJun shut her eyes, the internal wrestling apparent. She opened them, but the distress remained, wrinkling her forehead. "We have to talk."

"We do. After we finish these bastards once and for all."

Sandy lassoed the leading snail's right eyestalk.

"Great Davy Jones' locker," Mr. Krabs called from near the three Stone Tikis. "Be careful, gal."

The squirrel hurled herself into the air, her body waving like a flag. Gripping the lasso with two paws, she pulled herself toward the snail.

Her heart beat faster, like it was trying to break free and run from PallaPalla's sister. If PallaPalla was capable of breaking Sandy, then so were they all.

Baring her fangs, trying to feel braver, she yanked, flopping toward and pulling the snail.

VesVes pounded her chest. "That's right. Come over here and let me show you a few things."

Sandy's heart dropped into her stomach. What was she going to show the squirrel?

She heaved in a breath and let it out. Whatever VesVes had to show Sandy didn't matter; Sandy's goal remained the same. "I've got a few things to show you, too." She landed on the snail's shell, where VesVes rode. The snail slid to a halt, but the rest of the snails kept rushing toward Sandy's friends. A jet of water and a trail of golden hearts slammed against the other snails, pushing them backward. Distractions from Sailors Mercury and Venus.

Sandy stood face-to-face with PallaPalla's sister. The beast tamer stepped inches away from Sandy. Thanks to the sloping shell, if Sandy stepped anywhere, then she'd fall. No choice but to face PallaPalla's sister.

VesVes' breath puffed on Sandy's helmet.

"Pheew-wee. I can smell your stinky breath through my helmet." Sandy fanned her nose. "Worse than mornin' breath." Must calm her hammering heart, her churning stomach.

VesVes' smirk twisted into a scowl. "You do realize that I have all the power, don't you?"

"So you think."

VesVes' arm blurred, and her hand lay atop Sandy's helmet. Sandy froze, and panic rose like bile. Had to move, had to, before VesVes pierced her dreams.

The world reddened, and Sandy's heartbeat quickened. Blood pumped throughout, heating her. She hissed, her fur raising like a porcupine's quills. VesVes' brow creased. Hesitant.

A moment's hesitation was all Sandy needed.

The squirrel grabbed VesVes' wrist with both paws. Heat pulsed through her tail. Tightening her grip on VesVes' wrist, Sandy slammed her heated tail into the circus member's abdomen. VesVes let out a throaty cry. She clawed for Sandy's helmet, trying to gain a grip, but her hands slipped off. Her feet slid off the shell. She fell on the ground before a charging snail.

VesVes would be crushed.

The snail that Sandy stood upon roared, its eyes blank. Without a master, it would run amok.

The lead snail moved once more toward the group near Kelp Cave. But the snail behind was moving just as quickly, and VesVes hadn't rebounded.

VesVes' eyes rolled about. She reached upward. "Why can't I touch the pretty stars?" Gone.

Sandy glanced at her friends. "Y'all can handle these varmints?"

"Yes," Minako yelled.

"I can." Chibi-Usa sounded more assertive than usual.

"Good." Sandy crouched, readying her lasso, aiming at VesVes. Water slammed into the side of the lead snail, and the snail lurched sideways.

"Don't help her," the ranger said from somewhere in the distance. The shell decided to start working now, to _hinder_ Sandy? "She's using wildlife for evil. And the magic conch shell has commanded me to defeat these snails at all costs. Therefore, she must also be defeated."

The darn thing hadn't told the ranger to let VesVes die. No time to voice her thoughts. The snail was quickly approaching the dazed VesVes.

The bucking snail, with the water pushing it sideways… Sandy couldn't aim.

She leaped, spreading her arms, and aimed her lasso. The snail ran over VesVes' right arm. The one clutching the whip.

She lassoed VesVes' left arm and pulled. The beast tamer didn't budge. Sandy cracked her whip, propelling herself toward the snail.

The snail was too heavy. Her lasso pulled taut, and she began to fall.

The snail crushed VesVes' right leg. Her eyes cleared at once, and she hollered.

Sandy did not want to let go of her lasso, but she had to.

Propelling herself with her lasso one more time, she let go and flew toward the snail's underbelly. Slammed her heated tail against it. The snail reared back, kicking up its front end like a horse, spittle whipping from its mouth. VesVes was free.

Sandy landed on her feet and then scooped up VesVes. Slobber covered half of VesVes, was spreading to her other half. Sandy hurried toward the lead snail.

The other snail slammed back down. The ground quaked, felling Sandy, arms outstretched in front of her, a wide-eyed, staring VesVes within, like Sandy was the only one in the world. Sandy had rescued VesVes out of her own will. Because it was the right thing to do.

The snail slithered toward them. Now it was trying to crush them both.

VesVes rolled out of Sandy's arms. Staggered onto her feet. Stepped backward gingerly, as if testing her foot. Stepped back once more. She had a limp, but she could run. Run and leave Sandy.

VesVes glanced from the snail, to Sandy, and back. What was happening now paralleled what had happened between JunJun and Chibi-Usa.

Sandy couldn't wait on the girl. Had to save herself.

Tugging her lasso free from VesVes, Sandy turned and lassoed one of the snail's eyestalks. She pulled, and the snail swayed.

VesVes ran. So afraid of her masters that she didn't want to save her enemies, like her enemies had selflessly saved her. Then again, Sandy didn't have anyone to answer to.

"C'mon, let me help you." Sandy squeezed the snail's eyestalk with her lasso, the snail yelping. "I'll stop if you stop tryin' to hurt darn near everyone in the forest."

The snail jerked, whipped its head from left to right. It roared, slobber flying from its mouth, enough to water the kelp.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sandy watched JunJun bound back onto the lead snail, lashing the snail's eyestalk. The snail rushed toward Mr. Krabs, JunJun, and the rest upon the platform, near Kelp Cave. The snails behind Sandy rushed past.

If Sandy could conquer one…

"We'll get these folks outta your home together." Sandy ground her teeth, jostling from the snail's bucking. "Just let me help you."

The snail roared louder. The ranger's chanting permeated. A glow emanated from behind Sandy. She dared a glance over her shoulder. The ranger held the conch shell to the sky, a white light doming it, brightening nearly the entire forest. Mesmerized, the lead snail stared at the light.

VesVes whipped the snail repeatedly. "You stupid thing. Move, damn it, move." More lashes, but the snail kept gazing at the light.

Must be some sort of hypnotization. The pure shell's light radiated warmth, lifting the forest's humidity.

Tearing her attention away from the shell, Sandy looked at the snail she fought against once more. Reared up, its shadow covering Sandy. It flew down. Threatening to crush her.

A green blur from her right. VesVes shouted, "What're you doing?" JunJun tackled Sandy, and the two tumbled on the ground. The snail jolted, but its weight kept the two from moving far. The lasso snapped, remaining wrapped around the snail's eyestalk, the snail wheeling in the air in an attempt to regain its balance.

No way to conquer the snails now.

VesVes pulled her hair. "Why do you keep helping them?"

JunJun rolled off Sandy. "I don't think they're our enemies."

She gawked. Worked her mouth, as if trying to form a response. Her face flushed.

"Don't believe JunJun," came Zirconia's voice from above. "They've brainwashed her. VesVes, it's up to you to stop her trance. And you can do that only by killing the Guardians, that fish and his stupid toy, and that squirrel."

VesVes finally found words to say the obvious. "I was gonna kill them anyway. What useless advice."

JunJun hadn't let Sandy perish. Hadn't injected Sandy with a nightmare since she'd joined the Guardians. If she was against them then, surely, she would know that Sandy was the most susceptible to being immobilized by a nightmare. Maybe she hadn't felt compelled like she had felt toward Chibi-Usa but, because Sandy was Chibi-Usa's friend, she'd protect the squirrel all the same.

Sandy had to defeat Zirconia, wherever the coward was hiding.

She didn't need her lasso. She was a karate-chopping squirrel from Texas. What were snails compared to her?

JunJun remained near Sandy. "I'm only helping you because Chibi-Usa's in danger, and we have to stop these snails somehow. Don't let my saving you get to your head."

"No reason for me to let it." Sandy's eyes softened. "You're a lot kinder than your sisters."

A blush spread up JunJun's neck, to her cheeks. "Th-thank you. I, I mean, damn, why am I blushing? Not like you're flirting with me. You're a squirrel, for crying out loud."

Sandy laughed. "You guys do have feelings. Your sisters had me convinced otherwise."

"Mm." JunJun faced the charging snails, the one that Sandy had tried to tame slithering straight toward them. "We have to hurry. How do we stop these things?"

Sandy snapped her fingers. "They eat plants and algae for the most part."

"What's the other part of 'the most part'?"

Sandy smiled sheepishly. "Fish."

JunJun gulped. "They could eat humans, too," she said softly, like if she said so louder, her fears would plant the idea inside the snails' heads to add humans to their diet. "Anything's possible down here."

"True." Sandy plucked up a fistful of kelp and weeds. She waved the bunch in front of the snail with the broken lasso squeezing its eyestalk. "C'mere. All this runnin' around has got to be makin' you hungry."

The snail quickened. Its red eyes glinted at Sandy and JunJun, not at the kelp.

JunJun blanched. "All you did was make it madder."

"Let's tame this thing the ol' fashioned way."

"Which is…?" Had JunJun's voice heightened out of fear?

"Showin' it who's boss, Texas style." She bounded toward the snail. JunJun muttered something about everyone down here being crazy. Footsteps crunching grass sounded behind her. The acrobat was coming to help.

Feet away from the charging snail, Sandy leaped. The snail opened its maw of a mouth, revealing its fangs. It stretched its short neck to eat Sandy. She threw the plants into the snail's mouth, and it gagged, choked.

"You should've let me feed you like a good little snail." Sandy slammed her foot into the side of the snail's mouth and then placed her other foot atop the snail's mouth. Pushed herself to the top of the snail's eyes. She slapped her hands onto the top, doing a handstand atop its eyes. "Woohoo!"

Below came JunJun's cries of, "Freaking insane."

The lead snail had reached Mr. Krabs and the others. Sailors Mercury and Venus flew, and the ranger raised his toy. Enough of them were there to handle themselves. But the third snail was moving toward Mr. Krabs and the others, too. Could they handle both?

JunJun stared at Chibi-Usa.

"I'm okay," Chibi-Usa called. "Help Sandy. We have plenty of help over here."

"Yes, Your—" JunJun winced. "Right." She faced the snail that Sandy did a handstand on. The snail whipped its head in all directions, trying to shake Sandy off. Sandy pinched the sides of its round eye. The snail roared, quickened its shaking, the world blurring.

"What the hell are you doing?" VesVes said to JunJun. "We're supposed to be obeying the queen, not some squirt."

"Hey! I'm 902 years old here."

 _What in the name of all that is holy?_ First Sandy had heard of a little girl being centuries old. Chibi-Usa looked good for her age.

Grabbing the broken lasso, Sandy pulled, tightening it. Had to make the snail feel like she was going to snap its eyestalk in half.

JunJun moved slowly below. Must seem slow because Sandy was being tossed about more vigorously than a bull released from its pen.

White orbs pelted the snail's underside, and the snail reared up. "Ouch."

A wild snail, speaking when domesticated ones couldn't. Yet another one of Bikini Bottom's mysteries that may or may not be able to be solved.

"You dolts, I've tried to be civil so far, but you've pushed me over the edge. I am too smart to be ridden like an animal."

Now might not be the best time to point out the obvious.

"If you can talk, then you gotta know that these pesky humans are trying to tame you." Sandy flipped onto the snail's shell.

"You've got it wrong, my ignorant dear. We're working together. They need our intelligence. We need their bullheadedness."

"You need someone like VesVes?" JunJun said below.

"I can crush you anytime," VesVes said. "You keep forgetting, and when you do again, I'll kill you so badly, you won't be able to talk again."

'

"That's…what killing does, VesVes."

"I know that."

A golden chain wrapped around the snail VesVes rode upon. JunJun bit her lip at Chibi-Usa, who raised her Kaleidoscope and pulsed out hearts onto the lead snail's underbelly, that snail rearing up.

"JunJun, over there." Sandy pointed to the lone snail behind them. "Get ahold o' that one."

JunJun peered up at the snail. "Okay." She leaped toward the snail.

Gritting her teeth, Sandy locked her legs over the talking snail's shell.

"You leave me no choice." The snail's shell quaked. Smoke emanated from the sides of the shell.

Sandy's pupils contracted. "What in tarnation?"

The shell rocketed toward the sky, revealing a square black machine upon the snail's back.

The snails were, indeed, cyborgs.

* * *

JunJun had been running toward the snail that Sandy pointed to when the shell had shot up, revealing the machine with funnels at its side. She faltered. Bikini Bottom was growing weirder by the second.

"I forgot to mention that you humans and the robots blessed us with weapons to defend ourselves and our forest," the snail said. "Where do you think we were all that time you were here?" The robots must have a laboratory somewhere in Kelp Forest.

VesVes sneered. "You thought you had us all figured out."

On the flying shell, Sandy was standing like she was riding a wave. She held her nose and jumped down, toward the machine.

These snails were impossible to tame. They were fully with the robots. JunJun didn't blame the snails; the robots had given them new toys.

Her best bet was to go after VesVes. If she stopped the leader, then the rest of the snails might stop, too.

JunJun sprinted toward the lead snail, toward her sister. Had to convince her sister of the truth. With VesVes' stubbornness, convincing the beast tamer was a tall order.

JunJun leaped onto the lead snail's shell, saddling behind VesVes, the snail chomping at the Guardians—at Chibi-Usa—and Mr. Krabs, the crab crouching behind one of the Stone Tikis, covering his head.

The ranger raised the conch shell. "I command you all, under the authority of this magic conch shell, obey the shell's commands. We are under her protection; therefore, we must obey her."

The snail snarled. "Obey a mere toy?"

The ranger's face reddened like a ripening tomato.

"We've been putting up with you and your shenanigans, your supposedly magic shell, for far too long. I have grown quite tired of obeying a supposedly magic to—" Pink hearts flew into the snail's open mouth, and the snail choked, gagged. "What is this?" Its eyes fluttered. "My heart, it grows as warm as the sunset on a summer day." Its dilating eyes darted around the forest. "Ah, how beautiful, these little humans. What a lovely magic shell."

"I was trying to shut him up," Chibi-Usa said, "but I made him start talking more."

A vein protruded from VesVes' forehead. "Not this kindness crap again. Kill. Now." She lashed the side of the snail's eye.

"How lovely. Do it again. Please?"

VesVes howled in frustration. "How do I get the hearts out?"

"You'd better figure it out." Chibi-Usa crossed her arms and pointing her chin to the air. What a woman.

VesVes' face deepened into crimson. "I will."

"This is no toy." The ranger chanted once more, and wind whipped about, nearly jostling JunJun off. JunJun grabbed her sister, partly to balance herself, partly to keep her sister from taming the snail.

"Stop helping them." VesVes jerked, trying to free herself from JunJun, but JunJun held fast.

The snail's eyestalks darted about. "Beautiful ugly, molting crab. Beautiful chain that marks my underside with gorgeous black and blue bruises…" Its eyestalks faced VesVes and JunJun. Its pupils were pink hearts. "Hello, lovely ladies. How are you?"

"Kill them with kindness," VesVes barked. "Like those other stupid fish tried to."

"Killing isn't very nice."

VesVes' face colored more than JunJun thought was possible. Her expression contorted, and she let out a wordless noise. She gripped the snail's eyestalks and banged them together, the snail ringing, its eyes whirling about, but the hearts still within.

"VesVes, listen to me." JunJun gripped VesVes' shoulders tightly, but the beast tamer threw off her sister, nearly bowling JunJun to the ground. VesVes was in no condition to listen.

Bounding sideways, Chibi-Moon aimed her Kaleidoscope at the snail that Sandy had landed upon. "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" A train of pink hearts shot from her weapon. Sandy karate-kicked the snail's eyestalk. The snail roared. The hearts shot into its mouth, and it gulped them, its pupils dilating and then becoming hearts. It fluttered its eyes.

Leaving the last snail.

The snail reared back, glancing at its brethren. Yowling, VesVes vaulted from the lead snail, arms outstretched toward Chibi-Usa, like she was going to rake Chibi-Usa into ribbons. JunJun jumped after her sister, reaching. VesVes tackled Chibi-Usa, and then JunJun tackled VesVes, entangling them in limbs. They shot off the platform, bounced off a vine's leaf, propelling them over Kelp Cave. They rolled onto another vine.

They slid like they were sliding down a playground slide, the vine wrapping over itself, leading somewhere below, to another tangle of vines.

Tightening her grip on her sister, the beast tamer still holding Chibi-Usa, JunJun swerved them in the direction of the winding vine.

VesVes slipped her hands from Chibi-Usa, and Chibi-Usa tumbled off the vine.

JunJun let go of VesVes and jumped after Chibi-Usa. A glow surrounded the Guardian, and she hovered. Forgot she could fly.

Chibi-Usa swiveled toward JunJun and held out her hands. JunJun had jumped to save the Guardian, but Chibi-Usa was going to save JunJun instead.

JunJun crashed into Chibi-Usa's arms. Grunting, the Guardian plummeted toward the vines below.

The world darkened. JunJun looked up in time to see a wrinkly hand lashing to them, scooping them up and whisking them into the sky. They faced Zirconia's prune-like, glowering face.

Zirconia twisted her mouth into a grin. "The queen will be thrilled to see you." She snapped her fingers, and they disappeared from the forest.


	56. Grave for Hope

**Chapter Fifty-six: Grave for Hope**

Setsuna gazed out the taxi's window, at her surroundings blurring past. "These taxis take people everywhere."

Beside Rei, Patrick smiled. "Even haunted graveyards."

Granted, Setsuna, Hotaru, Haruka, Rei, and Patrick had had to pay the taxi driver a twenty percent premium so he'd take them to the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard. Of course no one wanted to go to a ghost's graveyard. Especially one overrun by robots.

According to Patrick, the Flying Dutchman lived in the graveyard. Was he fighting the robots?

In legends, the _Flying Dutchman_ was a haunted ship, doomed to never reach port. When Setsuna said as such, Patrick replied, "Why would the Dutchman be a ship instead of a ghost? I mean, 'man' is right in his name." He gawked. "Unless the Dutchman can transform into a ship."

Rei narrowed her eyes at the starfish. "Do you hear the words that come out of your mouth?"

Haruka nudged Rei. "We haven't stepped foot in the graveyard, and here you are, mad with Patrick."

"I try to stay patient with him." She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't always work."

Patrick pressed his face against the window. For someone who feared his own shadow, he seemed enthusiastic about visiting a graveyard and a ghost. Maybe he _was_ friends with the Flying Dutchman. Frighteningly, no one but Patrick knew what his idea of a friend was.

As they approached the graveyard, screaming wind rocked the cab. Setsuna grabbed the door handle, ready to escape if the cab flipped over.

A fog surrounded them, and the driver muttered, "Can't see a darned thing. Hasn't this Dutchman guy heard of air fresheners?" Did the fog come from rotting smells of the dead?

Regardless, the fog did not bode well for their time in the graveyard.

Better for the group, who could fight, to endanger themselves than the innocent taxi driver.

Setsuna placed her hand on the back of the passenger's seat and leaned up. "Sir, we can get out here and make our way to the graveyard."

The driver stomped the brakes, screeching the taxi to a halt. The doors popped open. Springs burst from the seats, propelling the group out of the cab. As Setsuna tumbled on the green sand, trying to scrabble upright to retain some dignity, the cab turned and howled down the green slope.

Haruka had stood, brushing herself off. "I take it he's glad he doesn't have to visit a ghost's graveyard."

Hotaru nodded. She, too, had regained her footing quickly.

Rei lay under Patrick. "As usual, I get the brunt of the embarrassment and the pain." She pushed Patrick. "Please, have mercy and get off me."

"But you're as soft as my mattress at home."

She melted into a smile. "People don't say that about me." Strange comparison to be happy about.

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "You've been compared to a mattress before?"

"Well, no."

"You should use that analogy with your future boyfriends. They'll be thrilled to hear that you're just like a mattress."

She pushed harder. "I don't need men."

"Minako says the same thing. You two would be an item."

Crimson flooded Rei's face. "Where's Michiru-san when you need her?"

"To be fair," Hotaru said, "Minako _says_ she doesn't need men, but she needs men."

Minako pined for a boyfriend, any man to look at her twice so she'd have an excuse to pounce on him. The way she looked at men, she was prowling for eligible suitors, even though she was sworn to protect Usagi.

The life of a Guardian was lonely, a road only ten young women in the universe traveled.

Setsuna had been a Guardian for as long as she remembered. Didn't recall her awakening. Perhaps she did have a civilian life like Usagi and the others. If Setsuna had been afforded more of an opportunity to lead a Guardian-free life, then she'd contribute more to the field of physics.

Being a Guardian wasn't entirely life-ending. She'd watched history unfold over millennia, showing her that humans made the same mistakes over and over, that many of them craved wealth, treasures, and dominion, leading to war—someone wanted to reign over others, while the others understandably didn't want to give up their freedom.

Perhaps the Flying Dutchman, being a ghost, had also witnessed what fish had done over millennia. A kindred spirit.

"What powers does the Flying Dutchman have, Patrick?" Setsuna said.

Still atop Rei, Patrick looked to the green-tinged sky that reflected the goo lakes spotting the area.

Paling, Rei huffed out breath. Could almost see her life-spirit leaving her body. "I'm dying." She choked on air. "Please, Setsuna-san, Patrick can focus on only one thing on a time. While he's thinking, he can't get off me."

"Patrick, you can get off Rei first," Setsuna said.

"So I can live…" Rei coughed.

"Oh." Patrick tumbled off Rei, and she heaved in like she hadn't breathed for two days. She thanked every god under the sun.

Patrick jumped onto his feet. "He likes to scare people. He tried scaring SpongeBob, Squidward, and I a few times." He shuddered. "The scariest part was the department store."

The Guardians exchanged looks.

"I made you look at each other again. I haven't made you do that in a long time."

"What did this department store look like?" Setsuna had to entertain the possibility that anything could be terrifying in Bikini Bottom.

Patrick shrunk. "We went through the perfume section. There were humans everywhere, and they were spraying us with, with awful sweet perfume. By the time we left, we were smelling like flowers and trees. Everyone was running away from us because of our smell. What's horrifying is, I have no nose, but I could smell myself. It was so scary, I can't look at a bottle of perfume, or else I break out into hives."

The group stared at him.

"This is one of our more awkward silences." Haruka kept staring at Patrick.

"It's impolite to stare." Hotaru kept staring at Patrick.

"We should be more observant." Rei kept staring at Patrick.

"Department stores _are_ scary for some people." Setsuna kept staring at Patrick.

"They're my worst nightmare," Rei said.

Haruka raised both eyebrows at the starfish. "Are they really?"

"Having a bunch of people pushing on you to buy worthless things… How annoying."

"You do the same thing."

Rei faltered. "My charms are not useless. I embed each of them with powers."

Patrick's eyes glowed. "What kind of powers?"

"Powers to repel evil." Her frown deepened. "I could ward off the Flying Dutchman. Maybe. I'm not sure how ghosts and evil spirits work down here. Which is why we'll need your…expertise, Patrick."

"The best way to see is to meet him." Patrick grabbed Rei's and Hotaru's arms, tugging them forward. "C'mon. I promise he's nice."

As the group ran up the sloping path, the green fog clouded their surroundings, thickening the farther they went. Setsuna's eyes watered.

Made sense that a ghost would live in whatever Bikini Bottom's version of heaven was. Perhaps the graveyard was Bikini Bottom's version of the afterlife instead of Atlantis, where their god, Neptune, sat upon his throne.

Ahead, a bell tolled, the ringing sounding from the silhouetted tower in the distance. Also in the distance pointed a cannon. Did it shoot sinks or headstones?

A rickety iron gate loomed before the group, a skull clad in a pirate's hat hanging from it to greet visitors.

Patrick grinned. "He should be coming out any—"

The goo below bubbled. The Guardians swiveled toward it, Setsuna raising her Garnet Rod.

Bursting from the goo was a green, transparent man with no legs but a wisp for his bottom, donning a pirate's suit, complete with a pirate's hat. His eyes were blank, his open maw of a mouth filled with a flashing neon light saying, "To be fed with FISH." In a small sign below was written, "and humans." Pigtails protruded from his hat. A contrast to the rest of his grim appearance, perhaps to lure children to him.

The ghost hovered above the group and howled.

"Lililili…" Patrick answered. Rei slowly turned her head to look at the starfish.

Haruka cocked her head. "I wonder, where could that Flying Dutchman be?"

The ghost opened his mouth wider, exposing a second small sign that said, "To be fed with many stupid human girls" and yet another reading, "I AM the Flying Dutchman, you fool."

"That's too much reading."

"Let me show you who I am, then." The ghost dove toward Haruka, opening his mouth wide, showing flailing fish deep inside his throat. "Does that convince you?"

She shrugged. "Eh."

A vein ruptured from the ghost's forehead, oozing green sludge. Rei tensed. Haruka yawned.

Maggots crawled out of the ruptured vein. Haruka checked a nonexistent watch.

The ghost sighed, placing a hand on his forehead, the falling goo making him look like he was crying sludge. "I've lost my touch. Darn robots distracting me."

"What did they do?" Setsuna said.

"Just look." The Flying Dutchman pointed at the cannon booming out a mini-pirate ship. Another cannon from someplace over the cliffs boomed, and a leech flew over the wall, latching onto the ship. "They've taken over my cannons. I tried my darndest to scare them away, but they laughed at me." Green lightning flashed, breaking through the haze for a split second. "No one's laughed at me before." He stroked his pigtails. "Well, at my lovely pigtails, yes, but not when I frightened them. I thought I could scare anyone, includin' robots. Not even the one and only Flying Dutchman"—he spat his name at Haruka—"could scare them. And if I can't scare them, no one can."

"I've scared the robots." Haruka cracked her knuckles. "Once they see my power, they run. You're obviously weak."

The Dutchman's eyes knifed at Haruka. He opened his mouth once more, showing a sign that read, "He loves to feast on humans with brown hair and wearing sailor suits."

Haruka's brow creased. "What an oddly specific sign. Who, pray tell, is that referring to?"

Green lightning struck near Haruka, scorching the ground. The Guardian of the Skies smirked.

"Must you be so insufferable?" The Dutchman pulled his pigtails so hard that they popped off. The ghost's pupils contracted at his dead pigtails. His hands holding each one shook, and he grew more transparent—the ghost's version of paling. "Now look what you've made me do."

Haruka laced her hands behind her head. "You did that to yourself."

Hotaru rushed beside Haruka. "Um, Haruka-Papa, I don't think provoking him is a good idea. What would Michiru-Mama think?"

Haruka stiffened as a storm brewed in the Dutchman's eyes, lightning striking within. "Fair point. All right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have messed with you when your home is under attack. I can show you how to scare the robots."

"I'm the king of scaring others. I don't need no help from you." He stroked his tail. "But you're welcome to show me a trick or two. I mean, show my crewmates. They'd be happy to see. For their own future." He cleared his throat. If anything, the Dutchman's curiosity would keep the ghost from frying the group with lightning.

"We're here to defeat the robots." Setsuna turned toward the cannons, the robots shooting sofas, their fellow Chomp-Bots and Bomb-Bots, the Chomp-Bots latching onto the oncoming sofas. The Bomb-Bots exploded upon sinks, raining chunks into the goo.

"Ah, yes." The Dutchman plucked a stray maggot from his beard. "You may have insulted me repeatedly and, in normal circumstances, I would've insulted you right back, you pig-headed, stinky little girl, but I need help, and these ain't normal circumstances." A Golden Spatula materialized in his hands. "This will be your reward if you save me graveyard." He crossed his arms, shooing them away, tucking the Spatula to his side. "Off with ye. Get blown up at your own risk. I hope you have better luck than other members of me crew."

"Where are they?" Hotaru said.

"Off fightin' the robots. They've been failin' miserably, more than my attempts at using that butter churn in the nineteenth century. Them things were state o' the art back then. Too complicated for a simple man like me." His eyes grew distant. "Boy, do butter churns make smooth, velvety, creamy butter." He licked his lips. "But not as delicious as humans. If you can't win against these robots, my stomach will be your new home."

"Why not a life of eternally serving you on your ship?" Haruka must be thinking that the group would have a chance to escape from the ship. They could escape from the ghost's stomach, too, but not in a pleasant way.

"That would be more of a punishment for me than you."

Haruka had earned them a worse punishment.

Despite everything, they'd defeat the robots. Including the fifty-foot tall silhouette that had appeared. The fog cleared, revealing the robot surrounded by a black bubble.

"Why don't you start with that?" The Dutchman pointed to the robot. "Go on, show me your great scaring skills."

"No problem." Haruka ran toward the bubble wand-wielding robot.

"It likes playing with bubbles like SpongeBob." Patrick charged toward the robot, a Slick. "Maybe he's SpongeBob in disguise."

Rei charged toward Patrick. "If you don't stop and think—try to think, you'll hurt yourself."

The Slick whipped toward the group. Setsuna ran after Rei and Patrick, Hotaru on her heels.

The Slick sucked in a breath and blew a black bubble, which splashed on the ground directly in front of Haruka. The Guardian stopped inches from the oil patch and jumped to take flight, only for Patrick to bowl into her. They slammed facedown into the patch, Patrick on top of Haruka, and slid toward the robot.

The Slick crouched, held its bubble wand like a golf club, and knocked Haruka and Patrick toward the edge, where green sludge awaited them below.

Haruka struggled to turn herself upright so that she could wrap her arms around Patrick, take them both into flight.

Setsuna quickened into a sprint and then jumped, switching into flight. Blue hair popped into the corner of her eye.

PallaPalla skated on the oil patch that Haruka and Patrick had sluiced through, like the oil was ice. Black, spiky balls—Lemures—swirled around her. She threw her arm toward the three, and the Lemures gusted toward them.

Swinging to face the Lemures, Setsuna extended her Garnet Rod. Had to reach Haruka and Patrick before she could use her shield.

The two arced off the edge, toward the sludge.

Setsuna quickened, trying to reach them before they drowned. The Lemures pelted her back, engulfed her, filling her vision with black. Images of the moon colliding with the earth, meteors slamming into the Moon Kingdom, Small Lady burning alive, filled her vision. She stopped, clutching her booming head. Couldn't see.

Tightening her grip on her Garnet Rod, she swung through the Lemures, only for more to replace them. She watched fire envelop the Moon Kingdom and the earth alike. Flames devoured a lush and golden Elysion, the gold buildings and skyscrapers populating it, the sun's rays being eclipsed by a bloody moon.

PallaPalla laughed. The Slick laughed. Had they teamed up?

A splash echoed from below, permeating above the screams in Setsuna's nightmares. Haruka and Patrick had fallen into the sludge.

Setsuna pointed her Garnet Rod. Wherever she aimed, she had to do something. "Dead Scream!" The green light tinged her nightmares, and the Lemures screamed, high-pitched, like children. The nightmares fell away like a collapsing skyscraper, leaving the graveyard. The Slick blew out oil from its bubble wand, Hotaru before it, using Silence Wall to shield Setsuna and Rei, the Guardian of Flames embroiled in a fight with PallaPalla. Super Sailor Mars loosed arrows, trying to pierce through PallaPalla only for the arrows to whistle past, into the sludge.

Setsuna dove toward the sludge, where the bubbles popped in one area—must be where Haruka and Patrick had fallen. Perhaps she could part it with an attack.

She aimed her Rod at the sludge. "Dead Scream." The black beam split the sludge. Waves reared up on either side, revealing bubbles filled with screaming fish pounding upon the bubbles.

"Help us."

"We're trapped."

"Save us."

"I can't stop seeing that terrible time when I was in the school play and my pants fell down."

"I can't stop seeing him with his pants off." The fish screamed louder.

The Flying Dutchman had trapped the fish into their own versions of hell, seeing the worst moments of their lives over and over again.

If Haruka and Patrick had fallen into the sludge, they had to have been trapped in their own traumatizing moments.

Patrick hollered, "My socks won't stop running away from me." He gasped. "Now they're growing wings."

Wherever Haruka had ended up, she had fallen silent. Just like Haruka, to not complain in the face of adversity.

Setsuna grit her teeth. Had to rescue not only Haruka and Patrick but also all the trapped fish.

PallaPalla bounded onto her feet, near the edge, peered below, placing a hand over her eyes like a visor. "Hmm."

A wall of flames slammed into PallaPalla's side, and the Dead Moon Circus member flew sideways, shrieking. Rei was taking care of her. Hotaru was taking care of the Slick. Leaving Setsuna to focus on Haruka and Patrick.

Aiming her Garnet Rod toward the sludge, Setsuna ran her mind across her attacks, which ones would be best, which ones wouldn't save the fish and Haruka. She had mostly beam-based attacks. She could stop time, but was the situation that dire?

No. She could figure out how to rescue everyone without stopping time. Didn't need to break the taboo a second time. Plus, there was the miniscule fact that she'd die.

Squaring herself, she dove toward the sludge to save the two.

The Flying Dutchman laughed. "Supposed to be scarin' the robots, eh? Looks like I'm doin' the scarin' here."

She took a breath and then plunged inside the sludge.

Green surrounded her. The viscosity of the sludge slowed her. What had she been thinking, that she could swim through the sludge as easily as water? But if she had used Chronos Typhoon or Dead Scream, then she might have blown up Patrick, Haruka, other fish trapped in the sludge. She was lucky she hadn't the first time.

Images of her getting kicked out of her university's physics program ailed her. Not much of a nightmare, especially since she would never be kicked out. As long as she focused on reality, as long as she kept moving, the nightmares wouldn't stop her.

Patrick's cries of, "My socks, my socks, why are you leaving me?" became louder; she was getting closer to the starfish. She swiped her Garnet Rod through the sludge.

Only to see Haruka, her arms encircling Patrick's waist, flying right toward Setsuna.

The two's heads collided. Bells rang in Setsuna's head, and she saw the Liberty Bell clanking back and forth. Haruka's curses drowned out, and the world fell away.

Setsuna, a powerful Guardian, who had defeated centuries-old, planet-destroying monsters, rendered useless by a headbutt.

She sunk. At her foolishness of thinking that Haruka couldn't save herself and Patrick. At her foolishness of diving in nightmare-inducing sludge. At her frailty.

She gurgled. So did Haruka.


End file.
